TMNT 2012 Drabbles
by Sesshomarusama3
Summary: A mixture of short stories with all of your favorite ninja turtle characters! (These include some 'Deleted Scenes' from some of my previous stories, or simply things that pop into my head at random times.) Enjoy! I OWN NOTHING!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Wow, ANOTHER story?!  
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**Well, not really This is going to be where I go when I can't think of anything to write, or any 'Deleted Scenes' from stories I've already done, so you might see some things from No love is Greater, Shattered, or even some of my movie re-writes!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><span>Snow<span>**

"…isn't it a little cold out here for you to be patrolling, three toes?"

Leonardo didn't even flinch or turn at the sound of her voice, and instead he smiled to himself and let out a light chuckle. "Can't exactly help it," he said over his shoulder as he gazed down at the glittering city lights below, watching as cars and pedestrians moved through the streets that were lit up with those familiar seasonal lights. "After all, crime doesn't take a break. Not even during Christmas."

He heard her huff out a breath that was between a chuckle and a huff of annoyance behind him. "I see," she replied, her tone nonchalant. "Well then, what a fine way to spend the holidays, am I right?"

Leo shrugged in response.

He still didn't move, not even as she began to walk towards him. He didn't reach back for his swords when she came to stand on his left side and follow his gaze to the streets below. He knew her well enough to know that she wasn't here for a fight. Not this time.

Standing side by side on the rooftop, the two young ninjas noticed that snow was beginning to fall from the moonlit skies above. It was slow at first, few snowflakes floating one by one. Leo smiled to himself as he gazed up at the clouds, the snow falling just a little bit harder. "…wow," he breathed. "Guess we're having a white winter this year after all."

Next to him, Karai hummed in wordless agreement.

"What are you doing out here anyways?" he asked.

"It's my day off, oddly enough. What about you, Leo?"

"The guys are around. Probably mooching off at Murakami's place for a meal or something, knowing them."

"Huh."

They said no more then, simply succumbing to the beauty of the winter night as they stared up at the skies above, watching the snowflakes fall.

Leo still didn't turn his head, but he caught the subtle movement of her hands as she raised them slightly, cupping them together and holding them out in front of her as if to catch the snowflakes in her palms. Finally, Leo decided to give in to curiosity as he turned his head to face her fully. And he was quite taken aback at the sight of her.

In truth, she didn't look any different than what she usually did; same black outfit, same yellow died hair, same dark makeup over her eyes and painted on her lips…but it was the way her usual passive amber eyes lit up with something akin to wonder as she stared up at the sky, the way her hands cupped together to catch the melting crystals, the light from the streets below lighting up her pale face beautifully, the way the snowflakes seemed to dance around her thin yet firm frame a she stood as still as a stone statue…

…and was she smiling?

Like, a _real_, sincere smile?

She had always been beautiful before, of course she was. Leo had thought so the moment he'd laid eyes on her. But now…

He realized he was staring, and he quickly snapped himself out of his daydream and averted his eyes from her and back on the city. The two of them remained standing in silence at the edge of the rooftop, until…

"…were your cheeks always that red?" she asked.

He pouted. "Shut up."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: When it comes to a Karaoke sing off, Mikey and April won't hold back. Especially April!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><span><strong>Karaoke<strong>

"Please?"

"No."

"_Please_?"

"_No_, Mikey."

"Come _ooooooon_, April! Just this once, and I promise I'll love you forever!"

April rolled her eyes skyward and let out a long sigh. It was midday in the lair on a Saturday, and while yes, she was hanging out with her brothers again, she was also trying to catch up on her latest trig paper, which unfortunately for her was due on the Monday. Donatello, as usual, had agreed to help her on it as soon as he was finished with helping Leo wax the Shellraiser…_again_. Raphael had left the lair an hour ago with Casey to do…well, whatever it was that Raph and Casey could to do in the afternoon, and Master Splinter was meditating in the dojo as per usual. And of course, since April was the only one in the living room, Mikey decided to come and pester her due to loneliness and boredom. Don't get her wrong, she loved Mikey, in fact she adored all of her turtle brothers.

But like all younger siblings, there was only so much they could do before you decided you'd had enough.

And on top of that, he wanted her to sing with him on a karaoke game called 'Star Singer'. Karaoke wasn't exactly her area. Sure, she loved singing, but some of the songs they decided to play on karaoke these days, combined with Mikey's taste in music was just…bleh.

Putting her pencil down on the side of the bench, April turned to Mikey's hopeful, freckled green face. "Mikey, I'd love to, but right now I have a paper to finish before Monday. We can always do it later though, alright?" she bargained with the sweetest smile she could manage, hoping that he would see the light and go do something else, just for now.

Of _course_ he wouldn't.

Instead, he took both her tiny hands in his larger ones and squeezed them pleadingly, but not enough to hurt her of course. "Come _on_, April! Just _one_ song, and then I'll leave you alone! I _promise_! And you can pick the song!" he begged.

Just as April was about to protest again, she stopped short when he did…the _thing_. The thing that we all hated, but we all ended up giving into.

The Mikey Puppy Eyes.

He just sat there, staring up at her with big, blue, adorable, annoying, cute, baby -

Oh, forget it.

She rolled her eyes and sighed again. "_Fine_."

And only five seconds after she said that, the game was set up, there was a microphone in her hands, and Mikey was flicking through the different songs with the biggest grin April had ever seen on his face.

April made a face as she felt my cheeks heat up. '_Damn you, adorable Puppy Face_!' she cursed inwardly. Oh she would relish the day when she refused to give in to the Puppy Face. They _all _would.

"Okay, April!" Mikey crowed as he turned back to her. "Which one?"

April looked at the screen, reading through the dozens of songs available. Wait a second. She knew most of those songs, and they were actually pretty good. In fact, most of them were songs that she used to worship as a kid. But eventually, her eyes fell upon one song in particular that she (and probably the rest of the _world_) knew by now off by heart. And April couldn't suppress the grin that broke out across her face.

She turned to Mikey, who was already thinking the same thing, and with a flashy grin, he clicked on the song.

April felt butterflies erupt in her stomach as the song started playing. Mikey stood up next to her with his microphone in hand, sending her an eager grin that she returned. And on cue, they began to sing, with Mikey singing lower in harmony to April's voice.

_"The snow glows white on the mountain tonight_

_Not a footprint to be seen_

_A kingdom of isolation,_

_And it looks like I'm the queen."_

The two of them shared a giggle. This was so embarrassing, but it felt _so_ good.

_"The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside_

_Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried!_

_Don't let them in, don't let them see_

_Be the good girl you always have to be_

_Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know_

_Well, now they know!"_

As they hit the chorus, their faces were nearly split in half with the grins they wore. April swore that she could feel someone's eyes on them from Donnie's lab, but she could care less right now. She was with Mikey now, the most fun of the turtles. She could afford to look like a dork.

_"Let it go, let it go_

_Can't hold it back anymore_

_Let it go, let it go_

_Turn away and slam the door!_

_I don't care_

_What they're going to say_

_Let the storm rage on,_

_The cold never bothered me anyway!"_

As they carried on, they were half laughing and half singing as we moved their hips to the upbeat song without a care in the world. Eventually, their singing got louder as the song played on. And April had to admit, Mikey was a very good singer. And this was the first time that April had actually been able to sing like this in a long, long time…

For once, April found herself glad that Mikey forced her into this. And even though she felt the eyes of everyone in the lair on the both of them, April decided that nothing else in that moment mattered as she drew in a deep breath, and with Mikey by her side, they belted out the final chorus.

Just like it said in the song, April allowed herself to let it go.

_"Let it go, let it go_

_And I'll rise like the break of dawn_

_Let it go, let it go_

_That perfect girl is gone!_

_Here I stand_

_In the light of day_

_Let the storm rage oooooooooon -"_

"_THE COLD NEVER BOTHERED ME ANYWAY_!" everyone in the room shouted at once, startling April and Mikey a little bit die to how loud they were. Before long however, they all dissolved into fits of laughter.

Mikey then rammed into April, throwing his arms around her waist and lifting her right off her feet in a strong, loving hug. "You were awesome, April!" he giggled. "You really know how to let it go, sis!"

Despite the horrible pun, a smile grew on her features as April pretended to look smug and examine her fingernails. "I know, Mikey," she teased. "I know."


	3. Chapter 3

**Books**

"What'cha readin', Don?"

Startled somewhat from the unexpected presence, Donatello looked up from his book to find Casey looking over the edge of the couch where the turtle was comfortably sat, peering over the turtle's shoulder to see what he was reading. Smirking slightly, Donnie turned the book so that Casey could see the cover. "It's called The Book Thief," he explained. "April found it upstairs in her dad's old bookcase and thought I'd enjoy it."

Quirking his brow, Casey gazed at the cover of the book, which had a beautiful yet bizarre illustration of a little girl in a plain dress, holding hands and supposedly dancing side by side with a skeleton man wearing a black cloak. "…What's it about?" he asked. "Is it about death or something?"

Donnie smiled. "Well, that's the interesting thing; it's actually _narrated _by a personified version of death, which follows this little German girl who steals books to read, because he finds her intriguing. Pretty cool, right?"

Both of Casey's brows rose up at that. "Huh. That _does _sound pretty cool, I guess," he admitted. "How far have you got?"

Donnie looked down at the page number. "Hmm…not that far ahead, actually. Why?" He looked up at the boy, raising a curious eye ridge and smiling at him slyly. "Does the Great Casey Jones actually want to read with Dork-atello?" he probed.

Casey wanted to deny it. Really, he did. He was a man of action, adventure. He was a daredevil vigilante, donned with a hockey mask that struck fear into the weak hearts of evildoers. He didn't have time to read books. Sure, the occasional short story was fine, but to actually _sit down_ and do _nothing_ but read a book thicker than Mikey's head…it seemed almost impossible, unthinkable for a hero always on the run.

But there was just one problem. They were stuck at a farmhouse. There were no bad guys that needed pounding out here (at least not ever since that Speed Demon mutant, which had been a _really _freaky experience for them all) and with Raph out helping Leo with his training, Mikey out feeding the chickens, and April out cleaning the bedrooms upstairs, Casey found himself very bored. The only one who could possibly entertain him was Donnie. And when Casey saw him sat across the couch with a rather large book in his hand, though he _knew _he was going to regret it, his curiosity had taken over him.

And now that he'd asked, there was no going back. Casey Jones never backed down from _anything._

Casey nodded his head once. "Sure. Why not?"

Donnie actually looked surprised at his answer. "…what, really? But I thought you weren't into reading," he said.

Casey smirked, jumping over the top of the couch to sit beside Donnie. "That's Casey Jones for ya; I'm _full _of surprises," he grinned as Donnie rolled his eyes. "But yeah, I've read a few books before. I'm not a _complete _illiterate, you know."

Dog-earing the page he was on so he didn't lose it, Donnie cast him a skeptical glance. "Really? Name a few you've actually read all the way through."

Shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets, Casey leaned back against the couch and looked up at the ceiling as he pursed his lips in thought. "…ummmmm…I've read The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Help and…the entire play of Romeo and Juliet."

Donnie blinked. "You actually read _Romeo and Juliet?_"

Casey shrugged. "School stuff."

"Oh. What did you think of it?"

"It sucked."

That actually brought out a laugh from the mutant turtle. "Oh yeah, I have to agree," he smiled. "It was a little melodramatic if you ask me."

Casey laughed as well. "I know, right? I mean, I'm all into teenage romances and all, but seriously, those two barely knew each others names and they killed themselves in the end because they couldn't bear to live without each other?! What the heck?! Who actually falls in love like that?" he grinned as he shook his head.

Donnie's eyes darted to the side, a blush forming on his cheeks. Wanting to change the subject, he cleared his throat. "S, um…you still wanna read this?" he asked, gesturing the book in his hands.

Smiling as he scooted closer, Casey nodded. "Sure. Read away."

Donnie smiled back as he opened the book back to the first page, reading the words aloud with Casey paying rapt attention. "Here is a small fact: You are going to die…'"

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, we're back – oh."<p>

"What's up, Leo?"

"Raph, look at that."

"…_Pfft! _Oh my gosh. What are they doing?"

Later that afternoon, Leonardo and Raphael returned from their training in the forest to find that Casey Jones and Donatello were leaning on each others shoulders, fast asleep and snoring lightly, though the gap in Donnie's teeth was making him whistle a little bit. On Donnie's lap, there was a book that was half open, probably having been dropped from Donnie's hands.

Smirking, Raph took out his T-Phone, moved around the couch so that he was facing them and quickly snapped a picture. "This is pure gold," he snickered evilly.

Leo shook his head with a tolerant smile at his younger red clad brother, and picked up the book from Donnie's lap. "Huh. The Book Thief. I think I've read this before," he mused as he looked at the cover.

Putting his phone away, Raph moved over to look over his brothers' shoulder. He raised a brow. "…looks kinda weird to me. What's it about?"

Leo looked at him. "Wanna find out?"

Raph considered it for a moment. Then he shrugged. They didn't really have anything else to do.

So after sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the silent T.V, dog-earing the last page Donnie and Casey had read and flipping to the front of the book, the two brothers began to read.

"'Here is a small fact: You are going to die…'"

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><p><strong>AN: The Book Thief is one of my all time favorite books! And I thought that some Donnie and Casey bonding over reading would be kinda fun, along with some Leo and Raph as well! If you guys have any ideas, message me and I'll make it happen!  
><strong>

**Thanks for all your reviews so far! More are on the way!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Cake**

_"It's a piece of cake to make a pretty cake! If the way is hazy! You gotta do the cooking by the book; you know you can't be lazy! Never use a messy recipe, the cake will end up crazy! If you do the cooking by the book, then you'll have a cake!" _

April entered the kitchen that morning to the sound of Mikey's rather vociferous singing, and found herself on the verge of bursting out into laughter once she saw him half covered in chocolate icing, flour and all sorts of sweet ingredients that had _somehow _failed to make it into the bowl. He didn't seem to notice that she was there was he continued to sing confidently, the plastic bowl in the crook of one arm as he mixed the ingredients with a spoon with the other.

_"We gotta have it made! You know that I love cake! Finally, it's time to make a cake!"_

Finally, April couldn't hold back her amusement any longer as she burst into a fit of giggles. Oh if only she had a camera!

Mikey's singing drew to an abrupt halt as he snapped his wide baby blue eyes over to her in surprise. He blinked at her once before the surprise faded, and he sent her a smile. "Morning, April!" he greeted brightly, waving at her with the spoon.

Wiping a stray tear from her eye as she sobered up again, April waved back. "Hey, Mikey. Why are you making a cake this early in the morning?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen, avoiding the mess made on the floor which she grimaced at. Looks like this place was going to need some cleaning…_again._

Shrugging, Mikey set the cake mix on the table, wiping his messy hands on his legs, which did nothing other than smearing even more of it over his body. "Dunno. The guys have been pretty worked up lately, bein' bored and missing home and all. So I thought, y'know, why not make a cake to cheer them up? So I did! And I'm almost done, too!" he grinned, planting his hands on his hips proudly.

A drop of chocolate fell from above and landed on April's cheek before she could comment. Creasing her brows, she looked up, and her eyes went wide. "…is that it on the ceiling?" she asked.

Mikey's smile never wavered. "That was the first try."

Shaking her head and sighing long-sufferingly, April bent down and opened one of the cupboards, taking out a clean cloth and wetting it underneath the tap of the sink before she cupped Mikey's chin with one hand and wiped the chocolate and flour off his cheeks with the cloth in the other hand. "Honestly, Mikey," she sighed again. "You could have waited for me first or asked for help before baking. It's a good thing I got here, otherwise you would've destroyed the kitchen."

As April continued to wipe his face, Mikey shrugged again. "Sorry. We'll, you're here _now, _so you wanna help me finish it off?" he asked with another smile.

Leaning back from him as she folded her arms, April looked off to the side. She knew she couldn't resist it, even if Mikey used the Puppy Dog Eyes on her. It'd been a while since she'd baked _anything_, let alone a cake, but she guessed that maybe just _one _cake wouldn't hurt. Besides, it was for the guys, and they could use something sweet for once.

Also, she was with Mikey; he could make even the most boring thing in the world fun if he wanted to.

Setting the cloth on the counter-top, April returned his smile. "Sure, why not?"

Mikey gasped in delight, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling his face against hers. "You're the best, April!" he crowed. Then he released her, handing her the white apron that he'd neglected to put on himself as he cracked his fingers. "Let's make a pretty cake!"

April smirked. She knew she was going to have fun, but she couldn't help but feel like a total tool.

* * *

><p>"SURPRISE!"<p>

As they gathered together in the kitchen, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Casey stared with wide and very amused eyes at the sight of both Mikey and April covered in chocolate, grinning bright enough to rival even the sun as they held out a large, beautifully made chocolate cake out to them on a large silver plate. It did look delicious, even though neither of them were known for their good baking skills.

Chuckling, Donnie looked up from the cake and at his messy younger sibling. "This looks great, but what's the occasion?" he asked, bemused. It wasn't anyone's birthday, was it? He inwardly winced at the thought of forgetting a birthday.

To his relief however, Mikey shook his head. "Nothing special, D. We just thought you guys could use something a little sweet today, that's all," he replied as he and April set the cake carefully down on the table, and April reached into the cupboards for some plates.

"It was Mikey's idea," she said as she set the stack of plates on the table. "But it was me who came to the rescue before he could trash the kitchen entirely."

Casey whistled in admiration as he gazed down at the cake, his stomach rumbling at the sight of it. "Well, I say you guys have done a _very _god job…now can we eat it already?"

The others laughed and rolled their eyes collectively at the Casey's antics, but they were silenced by the sound of an ominous crack. All brows quirked in confusion at the sound of another crack; it was coming from above. They all slowly glanced up at the ceiling…

Raph's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "…that had _better_ be chocolate," he muttered.

Suddenly, the cake finally slipped from the ceiling and splatted upon his head. The red turtle cringed as the chocolaty substance oozed down his shoulders and chest, his coated face set in a firm grimace as his mouth formed a very thin line. He glared at the others in the room, daring any of them to laugh.

They all stifled it as best as they could in fear of getting beaten up, slapping their hands over their mouths. Leonardo however simply stared at Raph expressionlessly, not even smirking in the slightest. Without a word, he stepped over to his brown clad brother, and casually licked the top his head once. He ignored Raph's shocked and disgusted glare as he pursed his lips, nodding and humming to himself in thought. He then turned back to the others.

"A little too much plaster on this one, but not bad," he smiled.

That was what set them off as everyone in the room, even Raph, began to laugh.

Indeed, something sweet was exactly what they needed…

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><p><strong>AN: This was based off a Zack and Cody episode where their mom tried to make a cake and the first ended up on the ceiling, and I thought that it would totally work with Mikey! I OWN NOTHING!  
><strong>

**And you can tell how bored I am since I'm writing so many of these at one time. XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is a small story based off the 2K14 movie. I thought this would be fun to do, and c'mon, let's face it, who WOULDN'T want to see Donnie and Mikey play Slender Man? XD  
><strong>

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy...**

**...but don't look, or it takes you...**

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><p><strong><span>Pages<span>**

"Okay, Mikey. You roped me into this, so where do we start?"

Practically bouncing on his toes next to his brother's chair, Michelangelo beamed from ear to ear as he held onto Donatello's shoulders. "Okay okay," he began, "so you just gotta press _this _button to walk –"

"Yeah, yeah okay."

"Right, and then you press _that _button to turn your flashlight left and right –"

"Got it."

"And then if you want to turn the flashlight _off_ then you gotta press _that _button, okay? You got it bro?"

"Yes, yes, Mikey, I've _got _it," Donnie sighed with a roll of his eyes, adjusting the large glasses on the bridge of his nose out of old habit before he flexed his fingers, ready to attack the keyboard and get this stupid game over and done with as soon as possible. It had been after his younger brother had practically _begged _him that Donnie had finally given in and let Mikey drag him to his computer screen to play this new game that April had (accidentally) introduced him to on her laptop the other week. It was pretty popular on the internet at the moment, with tutorials and reaction videos posted all over YouTube, so it was hard to miss. It was called 'Slender Man', and if he remembered correctly, it was based off an urban legend of some kind.

The aim of the game was simple; collect the eight pages hidden within a deep dark wood (why that was and they needed these pages in the first place, Donnie had no idea) and all the while you had to avoid the clutches of Slender Man, a faceless creature that stalks you as soon as you find the first page (again, Donnie couldn't understand why that was). If Slender Man catches you, you die, and whether or not you choose to start the game from the beginning is up to you.

It was said to be one of the scariest games out there, but Donnie had his doubts. He often found horror movies or games or anything horror related to be quite…well, to put it bluntly, mind-numbing.

However, it indeed sounded an awful lot like something Mikey would want to play, or something that Raphael would tell to Mikey to scare the pants off of him. Nevertheless, Donnie couldn't back out now.

After cracking his neck from side to side and letting out another sigh, Donnie clicked the start button. "Okay. Here we go, Slender Man here we come," he said, rolling his shoulders backwards.

"Cowabunga, brah!" Mikey cheered, gripping Donnie's shoulders tighter out of excitement as Donnie began to wander through the dark forest on the screen.

"…okay, I'm sorry, but how heavy is this person? I can _hear_ their footsteps and their already breathing heavily just by _walking_? What's _wrong_ with this person?"

"I know, right? That's the weird thing about this game –"

"Wait, so you _don't _think a faceless white man in a suit is weird?"

"Eric Sachs, dude. He was the closest thing to Slender Man, just take off his face and put him in a suit and you're –"

"Okay, okay, do _not _need that mental image. Sheesh, where is that first page – oh, oh, I think I've found one!"

"Aw sweet, Donnie! You got dis, brah! You got dis!"

"Alright, what does it say… "Don't look, or it takes you." Huh, okay. I'll take that."

"Okay, the games' officially started, you can't back out now –"

"Whoa, whoa, w-where's that music coming from?"

"Oh yeah, the music starts playing when you take the first page. Means Slender Man knows you're here and he's gonna come out and try to kill ya."

"…okay then. Let's keep moving. I bet I can find all eight pages before I even _see _Slender Man."

"It's been done before already, dude. But don't get cocky; he can _smell _your fear…"

"If you're trying to scare me it's not working, just so you know."

"Pssh. Whatever. Oh, look look look look! Another page, over there over there on that truck!"

"Aw yeah! BAM! Got you too! Okay, it says "LEAVE ME ALONE." Alright, that's a little creepy, I'll admit."

"Oh dude, the music –"

"Ignore the music, just focus on helping me get the pages."

"…do you see any yet?"

"Nope. I have to go to the bathroom, don't I?"

"…uh, don't ask me, dude. If you gotta go then you gotta go –"

"No, no the bathroom in the _game, _numb-nuts!"

"Oh! Right! Yeah, you'd better go there first before it starts getting too crazy."

"I'm not _scared, _Mikey. Okay, which way do I go…jeez, it's pretty dark in here. Where is this place anyways?"

"Try goin' left…"

"…Oh there it is! There it is, I found it!"

"Aw cool! You're on fire, Don!"

"ALWAYS WATCHES, NO EYES." Well, I guess that's true. Grab that and let's get –"

Suddenly, the screen began to malfunction, revealing the misshapen shadow of a tall, foreboding man in the corner of their vision. Their eyes went wide and their hearts seemed to miss a beat.

"Oh my god did you see that?!" Mikey cried, pointing a frantic green finger at the screen.

"Oh my _god_ what was that what was that?!" Donnie squeaked in a high pitched voice, his voice going higher near the end of his sentence.

"RUN, RUN DUDE!"

"I'M TRYING! OH CRAP WAS THAT HIM?!"

"I DUNNO I DIDN'T SEE HIM CLEARLY!"

"Okay, okay, we're back outside, we're safe…"

"Are you crazy, brah?! You're _never _safe from the Slender!"

"Of _course _not. Oh dammit, okay, you were right, this is a little nerve-wracking after all."

"Told ya. Okay, we got three pages, right? So we just need five more and we're home free."

"Yeah, okay, deep breaths, we can make it."

"We're stayin' alive, bro."

"Oh yeah, stayin' alive…"

"…stayin' alive, stayin' alive –"

"Ah, ah, ah, ah!"

"Stayin' alive, stayin' alive!"

"Ah, ah – **_AAAAAH!"_**

**_"HOLY CRAP RUN RUN RUN!"_**

**_"OH MY GOSH THAT WAS HIM! THAT WAS HIM I SAW HIM!"_**

_"OH MY GOD WE'RE GONNA DIE!"_

_"Nonononono, _I think we got away, I think we lost him…"

"Ooooohhhhh man! Dude I think I gotta change my pants."

"You think we should get Leo and Raph to play this?"

"Nooooo, they'd kill us."

"Yeah you're probably right."

* * *

><p><em>2 pages later…<em>

"Mikey I have no idea how you managed to get me into this game I mean – holy _crap _this is scary!"

"I told ya! I warned ya dude, but you didn't listen!"

"Stop grabbing my shoulders Mikey, your hands are all sweaty! And you said _nothing _about the fact that he an _teleport!"_

"I never got this far! I got scared!"

"Ohhh, Splinter help us…okay, okay, I-I think we can do this. W-We just gotta – **_OH MY GOD WHERE DID HE COME FROM?!"_**

**_"HOLY CRAP DONNIE RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN!"_**

**_"I CAN'T – HOLY MONKEY CATS ARE THOSE _****TENTACLES?!"**

**"****_HE'S GOT US HE'S FREAKING GOT US!"_**

**_"NO NO NO NO NOOO –"_**

The terrifying image of the pale, featureless man flashed on the screen before the two mutant turtles were plunged into darkness. The 'Start' screen appeared once again after several seconds, inviting the player to try again. Trembling with fright, their heavy breaths the only thing breaking the silence, Donnie and Mikey slowly turned to each other, their eyes wide and pupils dilated as they then turned back to the screen. "**_NOPE_**_!" _they both cried in unison, and with the speed and grace of a deer in the headlights they scampered away from Donnie's computers, letting the 'Start' screen continue to blink.

They whizzed past the large brooding bulk that was Raphael, nearly knocking into him in their plight as he watched them run like a couple of wild geese. "Hey, the hell's wrong with you two?" he barked after them.

"_DAAAAAAAD!" _they wailed helplessly, their pace not slowing until they reached the dojo, where their rat master and father sat confused as his youngest sons clung onto him like a miniature furry life line. The old rat looked down at their quivering forms as they buried their faces into his robes. With a befuddled brow raised, he then looked up to his red clad son with a query in his black eyed gaze. Raphael, just as bemused as his father, held his hands up and shrugged his large shoulders.

Interrupted from his meditation in their shared bedroom, Leonardo entered the room to bear witness to the sight of his little brothers hugging their master, both of them muttering something along the lines of "he's watching us," and "Slender is coming". The blue clad leader looked up to Raph. "…any ideas, Raph?" he asked.

Again, Raph simply shrugged. "Bro, I don't even _wanna _know," he replied.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: LOL! Big tough bara babies running to dad! I had fun writing this, so I hope you had fun reading! See you next chapter!  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! I've been having a bit of writers' block, so here's another drabble I did instead! FWI, I do NOT OWN TMNT, NOR DO I OWN 'There's Only One of You'. THAT IS OWNED BY WARNER BROTHERS: ANIMANIACS.  
><strong>

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong><span>You<span>**

"Donnie?" April called as she walked down the stairs of the old house, turning into the living room as her head turned left and right in search for the purple clad turtle. The only turtles she could find were Raphael, sat on the couch with Casey as they played on one of the video games she owned from her childhood, and Leonardo in the rocking chair leisurely reading a book she'd found in her dad's old study room.

April put her hands on her hip, blowing a strand of hair from her face. "Um, guys? Any of you guys seen Donnie?" she asked. "I need his help to fix the sink in the bathroom upstairs."

All heads turned to look at the young red head; Raph even paused the game out of courtesy. "Uh, I think he said he was gonna be in the barn for a little while last time I saw him," Raph said with a shrug. "He said he had some cleaning up to do or something."

April's brow furrowed. What could Donnie possibly need to clean up? Unless it was the clutter of metal parts from the Kraang ship that he and Casey had used to fix up the 'Turtle Racer'…or the chicken feathers from Michelangelo letting his chickens run wild. She shrugged. "Okay, I'll go see if I can get him out of there for a few minutes. Thanks guys," she said as she made her way to the front door.

"Happy to help," they all called as the sounds of the game resumed in the living room, and April couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.

_Boys._

Shutting the door behind her, April tread over to the barn, waving at Mikey from where he sat on the wooden swing. He waved back with a smile. "Hi April!" he called.

She giggled. "Hey Mikey! What are you doing out here?" she asked.

Mikey shrugged. "Just chillin', like a Turtle do. And if you're lookin' for Donnie, he's in the barn cleaning up after the chickens, which was _totally _not my fault by the way."

April smiled and shook her head again. _Boys. _"Thanks, Mikey," she said before continuing her course towards the barn, leaving the orange clad turtle to bask in the glow of the afternoon sun. She made a mental note to tell him to go back inside before he ended up getting baked or something*.

Once she reached the barn doors, she lifted her hand to knock when her hand froze mid-knock. Her brows rose as she pressed her ear to the wooden door, listening closely. She could hear Donnie, but he was…_humming_? Carefully, she pried the door open and peered inside.

What she was presented with was not at _all _what she expected to find as her jaw fell.

Donnie was swaying from side to side with his eyes closed, a broom in his hand with the wooden end of it brought close to his mouth like a microphone as he began to _sing_.

"_There are fifty-thousand different kinds of animals, and there are fifty thousand more that used to be!_

_There's a hundred million ants and a half a billion plants, and a lot of fish down underneath the sea!_

_There's gotta be a couple million spiders, a hundred fifty billion butterflies and bees!_

_A bunch of different mammals like those elephants and camels, and approximately fifty billion trees!"_

With her eyes wide open, April was forced to slap a hand over her mouth to stifle the burst of laughter that threatened to erupt as she watched him dance and sing as though no one was in the room (which _had _been the case). Of course she wasn't laughing out of spite; his voice was beautiful, and she had never heard him sing like this before, not even in his old lab back in the old lair. It was just the lyrics that had her laughing. They were just so…just so like _Donnie._

However, it was the next verse that stunned her the most.

"_But there is only one of you, that makes you special!_

_You stand out among the other things, it's true!_

_Yes, the universe is large and whoever is in charge made lots of things, but only one of you!"_

April blinked in surprise, her hand slowly moving from her mouth as she listened to Donnie with wonder. And it was then that she noticed that there was a picture of her from his T-Phone on his desk. He wasn't…singing about _her_, was he?

A warm smile appeared on her face as she continued to listen, folding her arms and leaning against the door-frame as she watched him sing with confidence and a big, gap-toothed spread across his face.

"_A one, a two, a three and a four! A thousand and a million and a billion or more!_

_There's a trillion drops of water in the ocean, and a billion, trillion molecules of air!_

_There are insects here en masse, and a trillion blades of grass, and a thousand strands on every head of hair!_

_A lot of little grains of dirt make up this planet! A billion atoms on the head of every pin!_

_A millions birds that all can fly, a trillion stars up in the sky, and all the many different people that have been!"_

April's smile grew wider as his voice gained more confidence, and he spun around to point at the picture on his phone.

_"But there is only one of you, that makes you special! Yes, there is nothing else exactly like you are!_

_Cause you're unique and you're terrific! And you're kind of real specific!_

_There's no one quite the same as the person you became!_

_In fact, you're kinda weird, but we like you just the same!_

_Cause you're the only one of you there are! _

_A babadoo, babadoo, babadoo ba! Yeah!"_

Once he finished, he struck a pose before bowing to the seemingly non-existent crowd.

It was then that April started to clap.

His eyes flying wide open, Donnie spun around and released a high-pitched squeak upon finding that April was standing there at the entrance of the barn, beaming brightly as she clapped. "**_GAH!_**" Donnie yelped, stumbling over his own feet and landing on his backside as he gawked up at April, his face turning a very dark shade of red.

April giggled as she walked into the barn, her hands clasped behind her back as she looked down at him with a warm smile.

Gulping, Donnie pressed his fingers together as he chuckled nervously. "…um…h-how long were you standing there?" he stammered.

Her smile broadened. "Long enough, Donnie," she said. "That song was pretty good. Did you make that up…for me?"

Scratching the back of his head, Donnie bit his lip. "Um, well, not _exactly_, I-I mean, um…yes?"

Shaking her head fondly, April sat down in front of him, leaning forwards and wrapping her arms around his neck in a firm, loving hug as she nestled her face into the crook of his neck. "It was a pretty song, Donnie," she whispered against him. He remained stunned for a moment, before his arms encircled her in return as he held her close.

After enough time had passed, the two of them reluctantly drew away. April then held up a finger. "But you forgot something important in your song, Donnie," she said.

Donnie tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

She smiled again as she tapped her finger against his chest. "_They made lots of things, but only one of _you_," _she sang.

The smile that she received could never be matched.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay, Apriltello fluff! I adore the song, I adore the ship, and I adore Rob Paulsen! **

**I hope you enjoyed this! See you next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I had originally wrote this for my dear friend naledi-the-mabeco, on Tumblr because she's awesome! So I decided to share it with you guys too! I don't normally do Christmas things, but I'll do it just this once!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**The first part happens just before 'Buried Secrets.', and the second part happens some time after 'In Dreams'. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Yo, Leo! You coming down yet, bro? We're all waiting for ya!"<p>

With a startled yelp, Leonardo nearly fell off his bed in surprise. "U-uh, yeah! Just gimme a minute Raph, I'm almost done up here!" Leo called back from his room, blushing madly even though he was alone as he turned his attention back to the paper in his hands.

He made a face as he stared down at the writing. He knew that this was rather silly, childish even. He'd stopped believing in Santa Claus years ago, though it was only _after _Donnie and Raph did; he kept on believing for a little longer for Mikey's sake. And ironically enough, it was because of Mikey reminding him over and over again on how he'd missed Christmas and that Santa was still waiting for his letter that he was even writing this cheesy letter in the first place.

However, if Leo wanted to be brutally honest, he was also doing this because…well, with everything that had happened to them recently, they all needed a little bit of cheering up.

After adding the finishing touches to his letter, he put down the pen and quickly read over the letter one last time before nodding to himself once, sighing with satisfaction before tucking the letter underneath the pillow so Raph wouldn't see it should he ever sneak into his room again. With that done and dusted, he grabbed his crutch off the side of his bed, stood with only a little bit of difficulty and then hobbled out the door, shutting it behind him as he went downstairs to meet with the rest of his family.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Michelangelo slowly cracked the door of Leo's room open, peering inside the darkness in search for something important, something that would aid him in his grand conquest of pranks. Sure enough, he found the marker pen lying on Leo's bed, and he grinned like the devil as he snatched it. "Aw yeah!" he crowed, eying the marker like it was a prize gemstone, "doodling time for Sleeping Beauty!"<p>

After their training session that late afternoon, Leo decided to relent to Mikey's persistent begging and watch a marathon of Crognard the Barbarian with him. However after the first three episodes, Mikey turned around from the T.V to find that Leo had fallen asleep, probably tuckered out from all of the Barbarian epicness. So Mikey decided that the best way to pay him back was to draw on his face again!

Just as he was about to leave the room, cackling like a villain, something caught his eye underneath Leo's pillow. Quirking a brow, Mikey went closer and lifted the pillow to find that it was a folded piece of paper. Curiosity got the better of Mikey as he picked up and unfolded the paper, setting himself down on the bed as he began to read.

_Dear Santa,_

_…__I'll admit it, this feels a little weird after years of saying I don't believe in you, but for this year I think I can make a small acceptation._

_This year has been…well, to put it mildly, one of the best and the worst year of our lives. We've gained a lot, but then lost so much in the space of so little time, it's unreal. _

_So this year, this is all I ask from you._

_Can you keep my brothers' sprits alive for me? I know I can't do it alone the way I am right now, so I'm asking you for help. And not just my brothers', but help my sister (April) and Casey too. They've lost just as much as the rest of us, and they deserve so much better. Just keep them happy and hoping that someday we can all go back home, take back the city and find our father together._

_I'm positive he's still alive. Somewhere. _

_I don't need anything personally; being with and knowing that what's left of my family – my whole world – is enough for me right now, and I know you can't exactly heal my messed up leg. That's something I'll need to work on doing on my own._

_That's all, I guess. Just do that one thing for me, and I'll be more than grateful to you. Heck, maybe I'll start believing in you again and you can put me back on the nice list._

_Leonardo Hamato._

By the time Mikey had finished reading, the pen in his hand had dropped, completely forgotten, and rolled under the bed as he stared down at the letter.

Through his tears, he was beaming.

* * *

><p>"Leo! Leo!"<p>

Aware that his shoulder was being shaken roughly and that his name was being called, Leo groggily opened his eyes, yawning as he looked up at Mikey's freckled face that was very close to his own. He let out a tired sigh. "…aw, I'm sorry, Mikey," he said as he sat upright on the couch and rubbed his eyes. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I guess I was – wait, have you been crying?"

Leo noticed that even though Mikey was smiling, his mask was damp and he had tear streaks down his cheeks. Worry began to rise as Leo reached out and gently grabbed Mikey's shoulders. "Mikey, are you okay?" he asked anxiously. "I-I didn't mean to make you –"

He let out an '_oof_' as Mikey suddenly came forward and wrapped his arms around Leo's waist, burying his face into his chest as he held on like a vice.

"…you're more than enough to keep us hoping, big brother," Mikey murmured.

Leo's eyes widened slightly at that. But it was quickly replaced with a warm smile as he hugged Mikey back, wrapping his arms tightly around his little brother. "…thanks Mikey," he said. And then a sadistic grin spread across his face as he looked down at him. "You do realize, though, that now that you've been in my room and read my things without asking, you have unleashed the 'you-know-what' monster, right?" he snickered evilly.

Mikey's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He swallowed nervously as he drew back to look up at the sinisterly playful smile that was stretched across his older brother's face. "Uh oh. No, no not the Tickle Monster!" he cried as he released Leo and ran out of the living room, laughing and screaming all the way out of the farmhouse despite his imminent doom.

Grinning like a fool, Leo leapt up off the couch and bolted after him. "YES! The TICKLE MONSTER has awoken!" he shouted, bursting through the farmhouse door as he gave chase to his baby brother. "Get back here, Mikey!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A bit of Mikey and Leo fluff, for there's not nearly enough of that in the show! I hope you enjoyed it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! Writer's Block is stupid I swear! Anyways, here's a bit of an AU where Karai finally comes to live with the turtles and Splinter after they take back the city and all that jazz (I'm calling it an AU for now because I'm not sure if that's ever gonna happen in canon)  
><strong>

**This is kind of a prolog of a little series of Karai/Turtle brothers drabbles I'm gonna write.**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**(P.S: To all of those who have read my earlier fics (e.g. the movie fics, the Turtle Tot fics, the Totoro fic ect) I'm going to be re-writing a lot of them, just as a heads up. And I'd like to hear you guy's thoughts on the updated versions once their done!)**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Life<span>**

It was early in the morning when Karai woke up to the sounds of laughter and annoyed yelling coming from the room behind her bedroom door. Her eyes cracked open as her head rose from her pillow, and her brows creased in confusion. She recognized the voices, but they shouldn't be there…in fact, where was she? This wasn't her room –

Oh wait…yes it was.

Memory came back to her in stages as she let out a little sigh, falling back into her pillow as her arm came up to cover her eyes. It seemed that after all this time, she was still unused to waking up every morning to the sound of the turtles – her brothers – arguing and laughing in the living room. The place she had come to call home…

Even though Karai tried to convince herself that this was her family, that this was where she truly belonged, it was still so odd being shown true love and affection by those whom she'd always believed to be her worst enemies. It was odd being truly _loved_…

And it was especially odd from how she'd transitioned from being an only child of a vengeful, crazed leader of an evil ninja clan, to practically an older sister of four mutant turtle brothers with a serene, loving – and quirky at the best of times – ninja rat master as their father.

When Karai had finally found the courage to approach the turtles and agreed to permanently live with the mutant family – _her_ mutant family – there had been a lot of hugging involved (mainly from Splinter, Leo and Mikey), shoulder patting and hand holding (from Donnie – and Mikey again, for Raph was still a little distant at the time) which had been a lot for the half human half snake mutant girl to take in all at once.

But it had been Mikey that had assured her when he'd smiled at her and said, "Don't worry; you'll get used to it eventually…"

After she'd officially moved into the new lair, each of the turtles had adjusted and connected to her in their own different ways. Leonardo had been the quickest, of course, in terms of getting used to her presence and welcoming her into their home. He'd believed since the day they'd met that there was good inside her, even before he'd discovered that they were practically siblings. And after everything she'd put them all through before and after the second Kraang invasion, it really meant a lot to Karai.

Raphael and Donatello, predictably enough, had been tougher cookie's to crack, though she couldn't exactly blame them. Of course they were still very distrustful of her due to her upbringing in the Foot Clan, and that it would take a little more time to really get used to her. Well, Karai managed to break their walls down eventually – the memory of how she'd gained their trust always made her smirk.

And then there was Mikey. Being who he was, he was by far the most accepting of her aside from Leo and Splinter. Heck, after they'd gotten her settled in her own room, he'd dragged her by the hand for a 'grand tour' of the entire lair, chattering to her all the while with a smile that shone brighter than the sun.

In the end, it had been Mikey that made her think that with time, she could really get used to living like this. Even though being half snake mutant wasn't exactly _ideal, _it was better than being forever trapped within that forsaken cell…the one that the man she used to believe was her loving yet distant father threw her into.

No, she wouldn't think about him anymore. The Shredder was in the past. All that Karai had to look forward to was whatever the future held for her and her new family…her _true _family.

As she untangled herself from her blankets and emerged from her own bedroom that morning, yawning and stretching as she walked into the main room, she was greeted by the smell of frying bacon coming from the kitchen and the smiling faces of three of her brothers as they moved over on the couch to allow her to sit next to them as they watched their new favorite Saturday Morning cartoon.

Watching the show with peaked interest, Karai leaned her head against Raphael's shoulder. He simply allowed her to as he watched the program. On her right, Leonardo's arm came around her shoulders. On the floor Michelangelo leaned against her legs. And as Donatello came out of his lab, his hand came to rest over the hand Leo had on her left shoulder as he peered over her head at the T.V.

Karai found herself smiling. Yeah, she could really get used to this kind of life.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Awww, Karai!  
><strong>

**Hope you liked this! More fluff and stuff to come!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Heya! This takes place in the same AU as the previous drabble where Karai is living with the turtles. I'll be doing some moments between all of them, don't worry!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Brothers Part 1: Michelangelo<span>**

"Do it again, do it again!" Michelangelo chanted insistently, bouncing up and down on the bed and jolting the two of them as the bed frame shook from his weight.

Smirking bemusedly at the bouncy orange clad turtle, Karai rolled her serpent green eyes to the heavens, allowing herself to smile before she reached out, grabbing him by the shoulders and stilling him before he actually broke the bed; she'd pretty much only just got this bed, too, and the last thing she wanted to do was tell Donatello that they'd broken it. "Okay, okay," she appeased once he'd finally managed to keep himself stagnant enough to allow her to sit on the bed properly again. Crossing her legs as she turned to face Mikey properly, she tapped him on the nose once. "I'll do it _one _more time, and then you have to promise to keep still, alright?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Mikey nodded his head rapidly. "Okay, I won't move. Just do it again, please!"

Karai chuckled, shaking her head at his antics before she straightened her posture, her back erect and her shoulders squared as she closed her eyes. Taking in a deep breath, she focused intensely, her brows furrowing as her eyes snapped open again, and her pupils narrowed to serpent-like slits as she gazed at the younger turtle sat on the bed across from her, who gasped in delight and awe.

Her eyes wide and unblinking, she leaned towards Mikey as her forked tongue flicked outwards. Mikey remained motionless, though he couldn't restrain the giggle that escaped him as her tongue nearly touched the bridge of his nose. After a moment on concentrated silence she leaned back again, humming in thought as she tapped a finger to her chin. Mikey leaned forwards expectantly. "Well?" he asked, still beaming. "What do think?"

Karai pursed her lips, before smiling as she snapped her fingers. "…you had a chocolate, peperoni, avocado and garlic pizza yesterday…at _midnight_…drinking grape – no _pineapple _soda…and then you licked Ice Cream Kitty again."

Mikey's eyes went as wide as saucers as he gasped, before throwing his head back and laughing loudly. "Oh my gosh, you're right again!" he crowed, landing backwards on the bed with his head landing on Karai's pillow.

Huffing out a proud laugh, Karai folded her arms over her chest with smug satisfaction. "Of course I got it right," she proclaimed, examining her nails – no longer painted black – nonchalantly. "I'm _always _right."

Letting himself finally relax as he sprawled out on her bed, Mikey shrugged as he folded his hands atop his stomach. "Eh, that's debatable," he teased, his freckled smile returning as she smacked his shoulder playfully. "But seriously, how do you know what stuff I ate _yesterday _with your _tongue_?! It's totally weird, but so _cool_!"

Smoothing out the creases of her slightly over-sized blue T-Shirt, Karai shrugged. "I dunno. I guess it has something to do with the fact that snakes have an incredible sense of smell or something…but I don't think regular snakes can do that kind of thing, can they?"

Mikey shrugged again. "Don't ask me; I don't know that much about snakes," he said, moving over a little to allow Karai to flop down on her side next to him. "Maybe you should ask Donnie, since he pretty much knows everything about everything."

"He's a genius, I'll admit that, but even _he _doesn't know _everything_, Mikey," Karai grinned.

Giggling in agreement, Mikey snuggled closer to her side. Karai bit her lip at the action, debating on whether or not to return the contact or remain still. Eventually, she resulted in draping a single arm around his shoulders, using the other hand to absently pick at the threads of her baggy grey sweatpants. This whole 'loving physical contact' thing was still a rather new concept for the ex-Foot Clan kunoichi, even after a month of living with the turtle brothers and her real father in the sewers.

But she was practising. And by what she'd been told by Splinter and the guys, she was doing pretty well so far.

"Hey, Karai?" Mikey said softly, pulling Karai out of her thoughts as she looked down at him snuggled against her like a puppy. He looked up at her with those big blue eyes that she'd begun to adore despite herself. "Do you ever think about what it would be like if you were never raised by Shredder? Like, if you were raised with us by Splinter instead?"

Eyes sliding to the side, she subconsciously drew Mikey closer as her cheek came to rest on top of his head. "…sometimes, I guess…" she replied quietly, looking up at the cracks on the ceiling. "I wonder what _I_ would've been like being raised by someone…warmer than the Shredder had been to me."

Slipping his arms around Karai's waist and holding her closer, Mikey blinked up at her. "So, Shredder was a good dad to you?" he asked. His question was innocent, but Karai couldn't help but bristle at it as she narrowed her eyes at the ceiling.

"…I can't really decide whether to say yes or no. I mean, he wasn't _totally _heartless, but…he didn't exactly show love either." She shrugged awkwardly. "It's complicated…"

Mikey snuggled against her. "Oh."

Looking down at the freckled turtle, Karai managed a smile as she bumped her head against his softly to get his attention. "But hey, I'm here now, right? I have my real father, and I have four brothers as a bonus. Though I never imagined having snake powers, but hey, life gives you lemons and whatever, right?" she said.

Mikey's brows furrowed. "Life gives you lemons? I never got any lemons."

Karai actually laughed at that as she swatted his shoulder again, pulling herself up into a sitting position once he released her. "You _are _a lemon," she snickered, tapping the bridge of his nose and earning a giggle from him.

Spying her make up box on her desk on the other side of the room, an idea came to mind as she looked back down at the turtle still lying on her bed. "We still have a few hours to kill before you guys have to go on patrol. You want a makeover?" she asked with a nonchalant shrug.

Mikey's eyes instantly lit up, and he leapt forwards and wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a tight hug as he pulled her to his chest. "Yes yes YES! I thought you'd _never _ask!" he cried excitedly. "I've _always_ wanted a makeover!"

Stunned for a moment by the sudden embrace, Karai blinked several times, her mouth opening and closing continually like a goldfish before she could get her brain to work again. Her hands twitched with indecision before her arms came around his shell as she returned the hug. "You're a weirdo, aren't you?" she teased.

Mikey only laughed. "Like A Turtle Do, sis! Now let's get fabulous!"

Karai giggled.

* * *

><p>When Donatello emerged from his lab to grab a snack from the fridge, he was met with sounds of snickering coming from in front of Karai's bedroom door. He turned around to find Leonardo and Raphael, holding a video camera as they peeked through their sister's door, giggling like a pair of high school girls invading a boys' locker room. Raising a brow, Donnie bemusedly walked over to see what was so funny…which was when he finally heard the very out-of-tune singing coming from the bedroom.<p>

Peering over Leo and Donnie's shoulders, he was quickly forced to slap a hand over his mouth to stifle the burst of laughter that threatened to erupt.

"_It's only for todaaaaay!" _Karai belted out.

"_It's only for todaaaaay!" _Mikey echoed.

"_It's agony to waaaait!"_

_"It's agony to **waaaait**!"_

_"Tell the guards to open up…THE GAAAAAATES!"_

**_"THE GAAAAAAAAATES!"_**

Mikey and Karai, both of them holding hair brushes to their mouths, were singing 'For the First Time in Forever' at the top of their voices as they pranced around the bedroom. Not only that, but Mikey's face was decorated in vibrant makeup over his eyes and lips that made him look utterly foolish.

What in the name of _shell _was going on?

They were just approaching the end of their song when Raph tapped Leo on the shoulder, wriggling his eyebrows with a grin that was borderline predatory. Leo returned the grin before handing the camera over to Donnie, and they both took a few steps back, waiting for their cue from the song. Donnie, realizing what they were about to do, took a few steps to the side whilst continuing to film his siblings in the room.

This was going to be good.

"_Cause for the first time in forever," _they sang together in unison, "_for the first time in foreveeeerrr…nothing's in my waaaaaay – **AAGH!**_

Leo and Raph charged into the room, tackling Mikey and Karai to the ground before they could get out of the way in time. Donnie finally lost it as he, along with Leo and Raph, fell into helpless hysterics. Mikey was son to join in. And despite her annoyance upon being brutally tackled to the floor, Karai found herself laughing along with them.

And if a few tears managed to slip through, well, that was between her and Michelangelo.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Gotta love the sibling fluff! And can snakes actually do that sort of thing? Ah well, see you next chapter!  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Identity**

It was a never-ending cycle.

Every night those creatures that were neither man nor beast came lurking, hunting for him, and every time he would strike them down, tear them apart limb from metal limb with his elongated claws and bared teeth. He didn't know why they continued to come after him, even though he continued to decimate each and every creature sent his way. Perhaps it was due to their interest in _him _in general. After all, he was a bit odd when he really thought of it.

He didn't know why he was so strong. He couldn't remember what his name was, if he ever _had _a name to begin with, that is. He couldn't remember where came from, why he was so large compared to his rat brethren, or why when he looked at his reflection in the pools of sewer water, his eyes reflected not the soul of a rat…but the soul of a confused, heartbroken human.

This, of course, made no sense to him. He wasn't a human. He was a rat. A normal – and admittedly over-sized – sewer rat that for some reason or another was being hunted by small white creatures that screeched like cats, and black clothed demons that sprang out from the darkness of the sewers when he'd least expected it.

He also tended to have nightmares. More often than not, they included a man - a _monster - _with blades upon his head and shoulders, and cold eyes that glared into his very being as he struck him down...

There were also screams. Screams that belonged to whoever was watching his torture from afar, unable to help him as they could only helplessly call out for him...

He was alone within the dark sewers. He was afraid of whatever the next day would bring with those monsters always on the prowl. But despite his confusion, despite his fear, he continued to fight them off. He wanted to survive, to find out where he was…or _who _he was supposed to be.

He knew that there was something he should've been looking for, something that he should protect at all costs once he found it...something that he loved dearly with all of what remained of his fractured being. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember what it was.

All he knew was that it was important that he lived long enough to find what he had lost.

* * *

><p>It was on this particular night that his cycle had been broken.<p>

It had started out the same as any other night, with him tearing the soulless creatures apart in his fangs, snarling and clawing as he fought for his life, when suddenly...

"_Sensei!"_

His eyes flew open wide. Something in the very back of his mind seemed to flip like a light-switch.

_That voice…I know it..._

His ears pricked up sharply at the unexpected call, and he swiveled around to find a pair of humans…and four giant, odd looking reptiles staring down at him, their eyes and mouths gaping as if they had witnessed a horror from their deepest nightmares.

The reptiles…they looked just like him. Well, they weren't rats of course, but the way their bodies moved, the way they walked on two legs– almost like humans if not for their green skin and hard shells – was almost like what _he_ looked like when he stood up on two legs.

Their faces were young, reminding him of what the human children on the surface used to look like before they became those hideous pink creatures. And they were...almost familiar to him, though he knew not how or why...

_The turtles...I _know_ them…_

But they were not his friends. No, they were hunters, all of them. They all carried weapons on their backs or in their hands, and they were afraid of him as he crouched down low on all fours and hissed at them through his bared fangs.

He had to destroy them, too. They were a threat to his survival. They were a threat in his quest to find what he was missing.

Snarling, he darted past the turtles, knocking them all over as he bounded straight for the skull-faced man, tackling him to the ground as he attempted to bite his face, but his struggling and squirming made it rather difficult.

"_Gyah! Get him offa me! __**Get him offa me!**_" the man screamed.

Large hands seized him then, dragging him off and away from the man and as they clambered onto his back and restrained his arms, shouting and calling out to him as he thrashed and hissed madly in their grip.

"It's okay, Sensei, it's _us_!" one clad in purple cried out, his voice oddly familiar. "We're your sons!"

Sons? What were they talking about? He had no sons. Especially none that were _turtles. _And who was this 'us'? they were talking about? Was he supposed to know them? And how did _they_ know _him_?

They kept calling him 'Sensei'...was that his name?

_A name among many others they call me..._

So many questions reeled through his pounding head as he continued to struggle, fighting against their grasp as the purple one looked him in the eyes. "Try to remember!" he begged, his brown eyes wide with traces of tears. Something inside of his heart seemed to break upon looking into his distraught eyes…

_I'm trying…_

Primal instincts quickly took over once more as he lunged out to bite the purple one, who reeled back with a yelp.

"Sensei, it's _us! _It's _us…_calm down!" called another one, his tone soothing even though his vice-like grip was anything but. His face was familiar. But his voice was wrong…

_He has changed…I sense it…_

Eventually, he couldn't fight any longer. Days without proper food had drained him of his energy piece by piece, and now he had spent the last of it as his ears drooped and his body finally relaxed. As he heaved out an exhausted breath, his arms trapped in the grip of two of the turtles, the other ones gathered around him. He could have sworn he heard the one in orange sniffle miserably as he clung onto his arm like a child would cling to his father...

Whoever these creatures or these people were, even though he was at their mercy, he couldn't help but feel an old ache in the very pit of his chest as they stood around him. The purple one that he'd attempted to bite before came and put an arm around his shoulders. His touch was hesitant, but it was no less comforting.

_Lean on them...I am safe in their arms..._

Perhaps they really meant him no harm after all. Perhaps they would help him find what he was searching for.

That dreaded high-pitched screech from the mouse monster rang in his ears, making him snap his head back up as those tall black creatures slid down on ropes from the ceiling. "Oh no! Foot!" he heard the purple one cry in fear. His tail flicked behind him in anger as the black things drew near.

"Get ready, team!" shouted the blue one with the different voice as he drew out a long blade. "Don't let them harm Splinter!"

Splinter? Was that his name as well? How many names did he have?

The black things attacked. And as the turtles and the two humans retaliated, his overwhelming urge to escape, to survive, to run away, was what finally gave him the strength to struggle out of the hold of the two turtles. He leapt at one of the black men, ripping off its metal head from its shoulders before he darted down the nearest tunnel to escape this battlefield.

"Oh no! _Splinter!" _shouted the red one.

This time he didn't respond. He dared not turn back or stop, for he knew that the men in black were on his tail now. He couldn't let them catch him. He couldn't let them stop him from finding the important thing.

Something suddenly leapt on top of him once more, causing him to tumble off balance and roll along the ground. It was then that he realized that the black men had caught up to him, trying to pin him to the ground even as he fought viciously, tearing his claws into them with desperation as he hissed and snarled. But then a glowing stick was plunged into his back, sending a horrible flash of pain through his body as he let out a scream, before his body fell limp.

Just as he slipped into unconsciousness, he heard a voice call out to him one last time...

"_SPLINTER!"_

* * *

><p>When he awoke once more, he found that he was slung over the shoulder of one of the black men, carried through an unfamiliar dark hallway with several other black men walking behind.<p>

There was no room for questions this time as he immediately lashed out, his tail whipping outwards as he attempted to get away, but he was quickly restrained once more as they pinned his arms behind his back, marching him through two black doors and into a wide open room, where a giant tiger and a man stood and watched him thrash about with bafflement.

"What?! It cannot be!" the tiger gasped.

"...Hamato Yoshi..._lives_?" the man breathed in disbelief.

Ignoring them both for now, he fought harder, tearing himself out of the grip of the black men and ripping out the throat of another. But despite his efforts, he was once again grappled harshly and then pinned to the ground, a solid foot stamping on his head to keep him down for good. Still hissing and snarling, he looked up at the tiger creature that was dressed like a human with a black patch over his left eye...

And next to him, staring down at him with narrowed eyes full of disdain, stood the bladed monster from his very nightmares.

Oh no. He was here. He was going to hurt him again, torture him before finally killing him...

_Do not give up...fight back...I cannot allow myself to die here..._

Instead however, the bladed monster appeared thoughtful as he regarded him. "...take him to Baxter Stockman."

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before he found himself being dragged into an underground cave of some sort, still thrashing and fighting in the hands of the black men as the bladed monster led them towards a large enclosure, with a giant running wheel inside. He was tossed within the pen, and as he turned and hissed at the bladed monster and lunged for him, a wall of glass came down before him, separating him from the creature whose face he desired to rip off more than anything.<p>

"I want you to restore Hamato Yoshi's mind," the monster spoke, not to him, but to the hideous bug creature that flew next to him behind the glass. "I want him fully aware of who and where he is...before I finish him off," the man growled, glaring at him as he spat and scratched at the glass before walking away.

"Yezzzz mazzzzter," the bug replied. He decided to bite out at him as well, simply because he looked disgusting, and the bug flew away from the glass with a yelp of fright.

Once his anger had dwindled, he crouched back on all fours and looked around at his new environment, his whiskers twitching as he sniffed. It was littered with wood chippings that scratched at his furry skin, and it was quite small, for him that is. But he got the impression that he was going to be staying here for a little while, so it was better than nothing he supposed. At least it was warmer in here than the sewers. And he even had a machine that gave him clear, clean water instead of the foul-smelling liquid he'd been forced to drink before.

He turned his attention to the running wheel on his far right near the back of the room. His ear flicked with interest. He had nothing better to do.

Might as well give it a go.

* * *

><p>He didn't know how long he'd been in this place, but he was starting to get very bored, as well as anxious. What did that monster mean by restoring his mind? What did he have planned for him? Whatever it was, he didn't like it at all. The very thought of it brought an uneasy feeling within the pit of his stomach...<p>

Oh, wait, no it didn't. He was just hungry.

He lifted one hand to scratch the back of his left ear. He hoped that food would be coming soon. They wouldn't just let him starve in here, would they?

There was a knock on the glass behind him. "You want this cheezzzzze, don't you?" asked the bug.

He turned around, and when his eyes fell upon the golden cube on the plate the bug held, his eyes lit up as he approached the glass, sniffing it with immense interest. The bug knocked again. "You want the nizzzze swizzzz cheezzzzze, hm?" he probed, his voice taunting as he waved the cheese in front of him. "Come on! Take the cheezzze! Come on!"

Yes, he _did _want the cheese, very much so. But he obviously couldn't get to it through the impenetrable glass barrier he was trapped behind. He licked at the glass, his stomach growling louder the longer he stared at it. Was the bug going to give it to him any time soon -?

He got his answer as the bug spat out acid onto the cheese. He drew backwards in disgust as he watched the bug greedily gobbling it up and then licking its remains clean off the plate before laughing at him.

How very rude.

He drew into himself, his ears drooping slightly in disappointment as the bug continued to laugh at him. Oh well, no need to dwell on it. He decided instead that he would appease his hunger by sipping from the water tank instead, ignoring the bug until he finally flew away, probably having gotten bored of tormenting him.

Once he'd had his fill of water, he decided to crawl back over to the running wheel and sit on it, licking his fur clean of the splinters he'd gotten from the wood chippings littered on the floor.

Splinter... Hm. That sounded familiar.

There was another knock on the glass. Oh no, not _again_. He felt the urge to roll his eyes as he chose to ignore the tapping. What did the bug want _this _time -?

"_Sensei? Sensei!" _whispered an urgent voice from behind his cage.

His ear pricked up. Sensei. That was one of his names. And that voice...

He turned around again, and he was surprised to find the four turtles and their human children pets standing there instead of the bug. They had come back for him? But why?

_Because they care about me...they missed me...and I have missed them..._

He cautiously walked up to the glass, meeting the blue masked one's eyes as they gazed up at him. He tilted his head as he stooped lower so that they were level with each other. His blue eyes were deep, full of sadness, regret...

Why was he so sad? Had he done something wrong?

_Is it because of what I have become...?_

"Quick, get him outta there!" whispered the red one to the purple one standing beside the device that he presumed was what allowed the glass door to move, which it did seconds later as the barrier lifted up. Now that the glass was gone, the turtles and the pet humans were free to move inside with him. He took a timid step away from them. Even though he knew he was safe with them, he still couldn't let them touch him. Last time they'd touched him, they'd hurt him. He didn't want them to do it again.

The one with the red fur on her head stepped forwards. "Its okay," she soothed, her hand stretched out towards him as she looked deep into his eyes. "It's _okay_..."

Though her voice was as soft and reassuring as her gaze, he still wouldn't let them near as he took another wary step back. Of course he didn't want to stay in this cage of his anymore, but he just didn't want them to touch him. And what were they going to do with him once he was free?

What were they talking about? Mind melding? What did that mean?

Were they going to take his brain?!

"_WHAT IZZZZ THIZZZZ?!" _

Startled, he leapt backwards as the bug suddenly appeared, buzzing angrily at first upon finding intruders within his underground cave. But the anger soon turned into surprise as he gawked at the turtles glaring up at him with a vengeance he had never seen. "T-Turtlezzz?! _Here?! _You were all destroyed!" the bug cried.

He heard the red one growl like a feral dog. "How's _this _for 'destroyed'?!" he barked before tossing a sharp metal spike in the bug's direction. The bug dodged the projectile, and then spat out more foul acid from his mouth. The turtles leapt out of the way before charging after him.

"April, try and wake Splinter up!" the blue one called before leaping after the bug along with the other turtles.

With the turtles gone, he was left with the two pets as they turned to him. Instantly he became defensive, snarling once again as he glared at the two of them. Despite her words and despite the warmth in her eyes, he couldn't trust them. They were humans. Humans were never to be trusted. And especially disliked the one in the mask the most, which was why when he approached him first, his snarls intensified as a warning, but he clearly wasn't heeding it.

"Splinter! Wake up, Splinter!" the skull man cried.

He snapped his jaws at them. He wanted them to go away. He wanted to see the turtles again. He felt safer with them, not with their pets.

"You are _not _a rat," the red girl said. "You are Hamato Yoshi!"

Hamato...Yoshi?

That name...it meant _something_, and yet nothing at the same time...

The girl closed her eyes, pressing her fingers against the side of her head as her brows creased in concentration.

And then that was when he felt it; a splitting pain in his brain that wouldn't go away, not even as he held his throbbing head between his hands and squeezed his eyes shut.

_Images flashed before his very eyes. The bladed monster was beating him, swiping his metal claws across his flesh and tearing him apart. A slash across his shoulder whilst his back was turned...and then a savage blow to the head before everything went dark...and then he couldn't breathe as he was washed away within the sewer pipes..._

His eyes snapped open again, his eyes wide and frantic as he desperately looked around the room in search for whatever was causing this pain, these images he was forced to see.

The first thing he saw was the skull man... No, it wasn't the skull man. It was the bladed monster in disguise! He was here to kill him!

With a hiss, he leapt at him and threw him to the floor, his tail lashing back and forth as he snapped his teeth at the monster's face.

"YAAA! Not _again!" _he cried as he struggled futilely beneath him. And it was when he was mere inches away from biting his face off that the human whipped out a device and stuck him with it, sending yet more pain pulsing through his body as he let out a scream of agony.

Then he was sent flying backwards, landing flat on his back before everything turned dark once more...

* * *

><p>"<em>Come on, Master Splinter!" <em>a distant voice called to him, hands shaking his shoulder back and forth. "_Come **on**_!"

That voice...that girl...it was _her _that was causing his pain. It was _her _that put those horrible images inside his head, making him suffer.

He wouldn't allow her to toy with him any longer.

His eyes snapped open, filled with primal rage as he leapt back onto his feet, roaring at the red furred pet as she backed away with a startled scream. The skull faced man stepped protectively in front of her, drawing out a stick from behind him. "I got this, Red!" he declared as he ran to meet him head on.

He didn't care for the man at the moment; he would deal with him later. What he wanted right now was to get rid of that girl.

Swatting the man away like he was no more than a fly, he charged straight for the girl and slammed her against the wall, snapping and bearing his fangs at her even as she begged him to stop. He was inches away from tearing off her nose before her hands slapped against the side of his head, holding him fast as she glared into his eyes. "**_LOOK!" _**she shouted. "_Look at me! REMEMBER!"_

And then he became still, his violent snarling and thrashing ceasing at last as his eyes widened. The pain had returned, but -

* * *

><p><em>"April, it seems that you have a rare gift...I would like to train you to be a Kunoichi; a female ninja."<em>

_"Wow! That's quite an honor. If I do this...does that mean I could kick everybody's butt!"_

_"...we don't believe in using our abilities that way."_

_"Oh! oh, yeah. Me neither. But I _could_, right?"_

_"Heheh, Yes."_

_..._

_"PLEASE! Father...we _need _you..."_

_"My place...Is with my **sons!**"_

_..._

_"...father..."_

_"See, Sensei? I told you my plan would work!"_

_"Perhaps some things _are _worth the risk."_

_..._

_"What shall we name her, Yoshi?"_

_"Hm? You are her mother; it is_ your _honor to name out child._

_"You have always been better at naming things, Yoshi. Come now, surprise me. What should we name our little one?"_

_"Well, let us see now...let's name her...Miwa..."_

* * *

><p>He remembered now.<p>

He had been such a fool for far too long. All this time, he had been searching for who he was, for the important thing that he had lost. And yet here they were, and he was fighting against them like the mindless savage he had almost completely succumbed to.

He was no rat. He was their Master Splinter.

He was a father...

Closing his eyes, Splinter gently grasped the hand pressed against his temple. When she flinched, his thumb gently stroked her hand soothingly before she found the courage to open her eyes and relax. She released him then, letting him step back from her as she gazed up at him, still unsure.

April blinked. "...Master Splinter?"

Standing proud and strong once more, Splinter offered April a smile and a firm nod as Casey Jones came to stand by her.

He was a mindless sewer rat no more. He knew who and what he was. He was a man.

He was Hamato Yoshi.

And as a loud roar rang from behind him as a battle between reptiles and arthropods raged on, he narrowed his eyes as he sprung into action, for he now knew what he had to do. He had to protect what he had regained.

Now, he had to save his sons.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: THAT EPISODE GAVE ME FEELS LIKE YOU HAVE NO IDEA! I had to write something for it, so I decided to tell it from Splinter's P.O.V with his rat mind until he got his memory back. The poor guy. But at least they're finally together again!**

**I OWN NOTHING! **

**Hope you liked it! I'm still doing the Karai and Brothers thing btw.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here is part 2 to Brothers, this time with Donnie and Karai! I wasn't entirely sure about these two, because they hardly interact, but then again this is kind of an AU, so I guess it doesn't matter too much. Hope you like it!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Brothers Part 2: Donatello<strong>

It wasn't that Donatello didn't like her. It really wasn't. In fact, after she had firmly established that her ties with the Foot Clan had been cut completely, and after watching the way in which she interacted with Mikey and Leo (unsurprisingly enough) he had actually grown rather fond of his half-sister. But the purple clad genius, whilst he was never really one to hold a grudge for too long, just couldn't help but remember everything she had done to him and his brothers beforehand. She'd kidnapped Leonardo once over a grudge, she'd endangered April _twice _over some kind of jealousy, and that was only a handful of the things she'd done whilst in the Foot Clan.

But despite all of that, Donnie knew that he had to let the past go. Heck, he'd done the same for Casey, and now they were best friends...most of the time. Karai had been through just as much as the rest of them had, with being a half mutant half snake hybrid and all; what she needed now more than ever was true affection from her true family…

However, Donnie was currently struggling with that factor as he sighed heavily, and then spun around in his chair to find said snake girl sitting in a chair opposite him, one leg crossed over the other and her arms folded as she stared at him with her glowing serpent green eyes. Though her smile was innocent – despite the fangs protruding out from her lips and the occasional flick of her forked tongue – and her posture was nonchalant and seemingly sweet, Donnie was not fooled.

She was just like the rest of them. The witch had come to torment him. He was sure of it.

"What do you want, Karai?" he asked tiredly as he turned to face her completely.

Karai blinked once, her smile never wavering. "What'cha doin'?"

Donnie's expression turned flat. That sounded like something _Mikey _would say, and he wondered if he'd bribed her somehow jut to get her to annoy him in his stead. "I _was _trying to conduct some experiments on things that _you _probably wouldn't find interesting. Why?"

In response, Karai shrugged. "What? I can't come in to see what my dearest 'little brother' is doing?" she smirked as she uncrossed her legs as she stood up and casually made her way to stand beside Donnie, peering over his shoulders to stare at the bubbling chemicals as they frothed from their test tubes. Her green eyes lit with slight interest as she stared. "...actually...this _is_ kinda cool," she said.

Donnie took her moment of distraction to get a good look at the girl standing beside him. She was currently wearing a long grey sweater with a big black love heart pattern stitched on the front, the sleeves nearly covering her hands due to how big it was, and thick black leggings. She wore a pair of fluffy pink bunny slippers on her feet, though they were worn from years of use and didn't fit the outfit at all, but they fit her feet quite nicely.

It had been a few weeks since she'd officially moved in with them, and since she'd discarded her old Foot Clan attire, April had been kind enough to 'donate' her some of her clothes until further notice. Most of the clothes Karai now owned included over-sized sweaters, tank tops, jeans and the like; not nearly as glamorous as Donnie had deemed someone like Karai would dress.

Donnie blinked once, his mahogany eyes bewildered. He had thought that a girl with her background and tastes would be wearing black jackets, ripped jeans and fingerless gloves with spikes on the knuckles to send a message to anyone that she was not one to be messed with. And yet, she was even wearing freaking _bunny slippers, _and not a word of complaint had come from her yet.

She looked nothing like the girl that they had seen as a threat for over a year. In fact, as she continued to stare mesmerized by the assortment of chemicals on his work bench, she actually looked…kinda _cute_. Like the innocent girl that Leo must have seen within her from the very start...

Blinking rapidly, Donnie quickly snapped himself out of it. She may have been his sister, but she was still a formidable kunoichi; he couldn't let mere appearances catch him off guard so easily -

"Do you ever relax?"

Her sudden query snapped him out of his thoughts as he looked back at her to find that she had torn her gaze away from the chemicals, and was now sifting through his scattered notes one by one, her harlequin eyes struggling to read the scruffy writing. "What?" he asked in response, to which she sent him a flat look that oddly enough reminded him of...well, _him._

_"_I said, do you ever just relax?" she repeated, stacking the papers in order again as she set them down on the table. "I mean, I almost _never _see you come out of your lab. You're like a turtle Hermit or something. Don't you have anything more fun to do other than..._this?" _she asked, sweeping her arm to gesture the entire room.

Pouting up at his half-sister, Donnie folded his arms and turned away from her. "Actually, contrary to popular opinion, I find the study of science to be _quite _interesting," he announced proudly. "Why, I remember learning the basics of Chemistry when I was only eight years old. Which, I might add, I can quote from the top of my head at any given time if I so wish."

Silence.

Donnie turned back to Karai to find her staring at him blankly. Then with a soft sigh, the half mutant girl closed her eyes and shook her head as she wrapped one arm around his shoulders and brought him close to her side despite his squawk of surprise at the unexpected gesture. "Donatello," she said forlornly, stroking the purple clad turtle's head with her other hand, "you poor, _poor _soul."

The surprise fading away promptly, Donnie pouted again as he shrugged himself out of Karai's grip and stood from his chair. "Alright, fine then," he grunted as he folded his arms over his chest as she turned to him with her playful smirk back in place once more. "Science might not be fun for the rest of you, but there _are _other things that I do besides that!"

"Oh?" Karai said as she casually leaned against his desk, being careful not to disturb the chemicals as she crossed her arms. "Then what are they exactly? Not including your sad attempts to flirt with April."

Donnie growled at her for that, but quickly brushed it off as he began to list off the things he enjoyed doing. "Well, I like the occasional video game, chess, and I like to dance -"

Karai instantly perked up at that. "You dance?"

Donnie stopped as he blinked at her. "Um, well, yeah I guess," he shrugged as he scratched the back of his neck shyly. "We all dance when we feel like it. I mean, come on, who _doesn't _like dancing - uh oh."

He stopped once again when he noticed Karai looking directly at him, the dangerous smirk and the ominous glint in her eye that he had known from all of their previous encounters had returned. He gulped nervously as he took a step back, but she quickly closed the gap between them as she dashed forwards and grasped his large wrists in her hands.

"Well then, show me what you got, Dork-a-tello," she grinned.

Donnie rolled his eyes. Even though there was no one in the lair right now (Splinter was taking a walk, and Leo had taken April and Mikey out for a training exercise whilst Raph and Casey did their usual goofing off), Donnie was still rather conscious of the fact that he would be dancing with Karai of all people. What if some one caught them and then teased him for his awkward moves? What if Karai laughed at him? What if -?

Karai tapped his nose once, starling him out of his worries as he looked back down at her. "Stop worrying," she chided firmly as she led him out of the lab. "Try to loosen up a little bit. It's just you and me having a bit of fun for once. Jeez, you're no better than Leo."

Donnie smirked out loud at that, his shoulders no longer stiff as he allowed himself to be dragged away from his work and into the living room. "Well if you ask me, you're no better than Mikey and Raph combined," he shot back.

"Ooh, sassy smack-talking nerd," she snickered. "We should call you 'Sass-a-tello' from now on."

"Just don't throw a _hissy _fit when it doesn't work."

"Oh, that was bad. Like, 'Mikey' bad."

"Not as bad as _you _were."

Karai stopped dead in her tracks. Slowly, she turned her head to face him, pinning him under her deadly gaze. "...what do you mean by '_were_'? I'm as bad as ever," she grinned.

Donnie only rolled his eyes. "Says the girl in the pink fluffy bunny slippers."

Karai pouted. "Fine, you win this round. Let's just dance already before I get bored and decide to swallow you whole."

* * *

><p>It was only moments later before the two siblings found themselves flailing their limbs about in the most ridiculous manner as music blasted out from the stereo, laughing as they spun and jumped and sang along to the lyrics, though both voices were horribly out of tune, but they could care less. Beaming all the while, Donnie linked his arm with Karai's as the two spun around. Hearing Karai laugh like this, watching her actually enjoying herself in a way that she could have never done within the Foot Clan, made Donnie happy inside.<p>

The song then changed to a slower one, but they realized with twin gasps of excitement that it was 'The Time of My Life'. Both of them knew what to do as the song neared its chorus.

Karai took a few steps back, grinning like a fool. Donnie readied himself, opening his arms as he returned the smile. "You ready?" he laughed. Karai nodded, and with seconds to spare before the singers reached the chorus, she ran towards Donnie, and he lifted her right off the ground with ease by her waist and held her high above his head. She let out a breathless laugh as she gawked down at Donnie, who beamed right back with his gap-tooth showing before he let her drop back into his arms.

He watched as traces of tears yet to be shed started in her eyes as she continued to laugh. This was his _sister_. This was a girl that deserved to feel this way all the time, despite all the odd twists and turns that her life has taken so far. This was what she wanted. And truth be told, Donnie was more than willing to share it with her, no matter how stupid it seemed.

And besides, he hadn't had this much fun in a _long _time.

"What a performance, I must say."

Their laughter stopped instantly at the sound of a _very _familiar voice, and they spun around to find Master Splinter standing there, his hands clasped behind his back as he smiled at the two of them. Behind him, Leonardo stood with his arms folded and a similar warm smile on his face, whilst Michelangelo and April were snickering like mischievous children at the baffled pair before them.

With wide eyes, Karai and Donnie shared a look.

Karai smirked.

Donnie winced and slapped a hand over his blushing face. Well, he was lucky that _Raph _hadn't seen it, or he'd never hear the end of it.

But if it meant making his new sister happy...well, he assumed he could deal with that. _Maybe._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: All of the fluff! I hope you guys liked that, cus there's more on the way!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! I know i need to update my other stories, but this has been buzzing around in my head like an angry hornet forever!  
><strong>

**I wanted to explore an element which I _think _has been at the very least _hinted _at during the Farmhouse story arch, which is about April becoming a bit of a mother figure to the guys in the absence of Splinter. It started out as really cute, buuuuut...I kinda got mean at the end! Sorry guys! **

**Thank you to everyone who has faved, reviewed or followed this story thus far! I love you all!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><span>Motherly<span>**

"You got everything we need, Casey?"

Grunting with effort as he struggled to pick up the cardboard box of food, medical supplies and other stuff that neither of them wanted to talk about, Casey nodded as he carried the heavy load over to Burnie's check-out. "Yep! I think so," he wheezed, letting out a sigh of relief as he set the box down before bending backwards to crack his stiff back. "Jeez, that was heavier than it looked," he huffed. April only giggled, attempting to stifle it with a hand over her mouth, which didn't work as Casey sent her a pout.

Behind the counter as he rallied up the prices of their items, Bernie chuckled fondly at the pair of human teens. They'd been regular customers to his store ever since the 'Dream Beaver' incident (after which he'd slept for three and a half days straight without fear for the first time, and feeling better than ever if he said so himself), and he'd gotten to know them quite well. They occasionally shared stories about their strange turtle friends, such as how they had met and what they were doing out so far from the city. Though _that _story had been…well, almost horrific. It had been years since he'd last been to New York, and due to his lack of contact with society for the last forty (admittedly wasted) years, he hadn't been able to catch up with anything currently going on everywhere else.

Hearing that it'd been invaded by _aliens _of all things…and how only _six _teenagers, only two of which were human, was rather saddening. Poor kids…

However, despite everything that had happened and everything they'd lost because of the invasion, they'd carried on. In fact, from the few visits Bernie had made to their old farmhouse to check up on them, they seemed to be doing pretty well, though one of them, Leonardo, was suffering from a bad knee. But even so, they pulled themselves together and kept their heads screwed on tight…unlike _he _had been for the past forty years.

Bernie had even had the tremendous privilege to watch the six of them train together occasionally, sitting by the porch as they sparred on the front lawn. He was utterly blown away by their skills, but what made him smile the most was the way they bantered back and forth during the match, the way they all rushed to Leonardo's aid when his leg gave way…and the way that April had scolded them all after one thing led to another and resulted in a full on wrestling match which covered the five boys head to toe in grass.

It was a strange sight to behold to those who knew them little, but not to Bernie. To him, it was as clear as daylight that they were not merely friends. They were a family. A big, strange, broken yet happy family.

And it even more clear on whom the mother was of _this_ particular family.

Bernie chuckled again as April reached up to flick a dead bug off of Casey's shoulder, who grunted as he shrugged her off. "I'm _fine_, April! It's just a bug, leave me alone," he whined.

Cocking a brow, April folded her arms. "Well _excuse _me for trying to make at least a little _less _like a caveman," she shot back sarcastically. "Honestly, you and the guys have _no _sense of cleanliness."

Casey rolled his eyes to the heavens. "Pssh. Whatever you say, _mom_."

April made a face. "I don't act like a mom!"

"Yeah you do."

"_No, _I _don't!_"

"Yes you do," Casey and Bernie chorused before sharing a grin.

April pouted and folded her arms. Bernie laughed as he handed the box of supplies over to Casey and regarded the red head. "Now April, we don't mean to rile you up," he said with a kind smile. "But'cha can't deny that you're acting a _little_ maternal over the lads, now can ya?" He shrugged as he leaned against the top of the desk. "It's not uncommon, y'know; a girl in a home full of boys a year or so younger than her would eventually start to develop those maternal instincts at some point or another, even if they _are _giant talking turtles and a caveman."

Casey had been nodding his agreement throughout most of Bernie's commentary, but then did a double-take at his last comment as he glared at the cashier. "Hey! There's nothing wrong with being au naturel," he boasted, puffing out his chest as much as he was able to with the crate in his hands. Bernie and April both shook their heads with a smile, before the two teens bid him goodbye and left the store.

Through the window of the shop, Bernie watched them as they loaded their goods into the hippie van, with April prodding an accusing finger at Casey as she reprimanded him on being careful, which he shrugged off once again before the two climbed into the van and drove off into the night. Bernie smiled to himself.

"Ah, kids," he mused out loud. "Always in a rush to grow up."

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><p>As they drove down the vacant roads in the dark of the night, Casey spared a side-glance at April, who was staring thoughtfully out of the window with her brows furrowed. He inwardly winced at the thought of actually offending her back there with the 'mother' quip. After all, it had only been a few weeks since they'd all almost been <em>eaten<em> by her fake mother…perhaps they'd unintentionally stirred up those old feelings of hurt and loss…

"April," he said, snapping April out of her daze as she looked at him. He bit his lip uncertainly before venturing, "You're not mad about what I said earlier, are you? I mean, I didn't mean to –"

"Oh, no, no Casey, I'm not mad at you," she assured with a smile. "It's just that…do I _really _act like a mother to the guys? I mean, it's not like I _meant _to, but…"

"It wasn't really noticeable at first," Casey mused as they rounded a corner and entered the forest path that sloped upwards as they passed the old 'O'Neil' mailbox. "It was kinda gradual; I only figured it out after you actually told Mikey and Raph off for sitting too close to the T.V." He then laughed. "That was hilarious! Did you see the look on Raph's face?! He was like, 'what'chu says ta me, fool?' Haha!"

April rolled her eyes at Casey's 'thoughtful' commentary as they approached the old farmhouse and parked. "Yeah, _really _funny, Jones," she droned as she got out of the car and shut the door behind her, planting a hand on her hip as she waited for the boy to gather their supplies. She frowned again as she glanced back at the house, where he lights were still on in the living room and in the kitchen. "…do you think they're bothered by it?" she asked quietly as Casey came to stand by her side, box in hand. "I mean, I've kinda always been like their 'big sister' figure…is it wrong of me to suddenly turn into something more than that?"

Casey appeared thoughtful for a moment as they walked side by side towards the front door. Just as April opened it and stepped aside to allow Casey to enter first, he surprised her by offering her an understanding smile as he shook his head. "Nah, I don't think they mind," he said. "In fact, if I didn't know any better…I'd say they kinda like the attention."

April chuckled with a shake of her head as Casey struggled through the door. "I don't doubt you on _that_ one, Jones," she sighed as she closed the door behind her, locking it securely before following Casey into the living room. "Hey guys!" she announced. "We're back! We could use some help with unloading the – oh."

Casey and April stopped in their tracks upon finding all four turtles fast asleep in the main room, the T.V playing yet another repeat of Crognard the Barbarian despite its audience remaining oblivious to it. Raphael was sat in the chair on the left side of the couch, stirring slightly in his sleep as he subconsciously scratched his knee with one hand. Donatello was in the rocking chair on the other side of the room, his hands resting one over the other as he snored lightly, his head lulled to the side. And on the couch was Leonardo and Michelangelo; the oldest turtle had laid himself out across the length of the couch and had his head pillowed on the armrest, and the youngest had practically climbed on top of him like a kitten as he laid his cheek against his chest. Leo must have not been bothered by this in the least, for he had his arm wrapped around his youngest brother as he snuggled up to him contentedly.

Standing before the sleeping reptiles, Casey and April blinked once, and then turned to each other. It took everything within their power to prevent themselves from laughing, lest they wake up them up and shatter the rare peace hat had descended upon the ninjas.

April put a hand over her mouth as she gazed at them. "Awww, this is so cute!" she whispered with a giddy little grin.

Casey just smirked. "I'm just disappointed that _none _of them have drawings on their faces like last time," he whispered back. "Should we leave them here? I kinda don't wanna wake them up…"

April hummed in agreement. It was rare to see the boys in such a peaceful state, even in their sleep. But even so, they couldn't sleep like that; they'd end up being stiff in the morning otherwise. And April was certain that Leo was having trouble breathing properly with Mikey curled on top of him like a cat. Reaching a decision, she stretched up and laid a hand on Casey's shoulder. "You go put the groceries away, I'll sort the guys out," she said.

After Casey gave her a knowing smile and a nod, he left the living room to do as ordered, leaving April with the sleeping terrapins. Shutting the T.V off, she planted her hands on her hips as she regarded them all one by one. Getting them up would be no easy challenge, that she was certain of; they could sleep like rocks when they wanted to, and they were just as heavy.

Alas, it was her duty to at least attempt this seemingly impossible feat of getting them to bed.

With a ready sigh, she decided to start off with Raphael, knowing that he was going to be the hardest to awaken. Taking a seat beside him on the armrest of the chair, she reached out and laid her hand gently against his cheek, rubbing her thumb across it. "Raph," she called softly. "Wake up, Raphie."

Grunting, Raph lazily swatted at her hand, missing by inches. "Three more minutes, Leo," he moaned.

Biting her lip to stifle the laugh, April tried again, this time taking his shoulder and shaking it. "Come on, Raph. You've gotta get up now."

His brows knitted together at the sound of her voice, and he slowly opened his eyes to find her smiling at him. Raph blinked at her once. "…hey," he yawned. "…h-how long've you been…?"

"We just got back," she replied as she got up from the armrest to stand in front of him. "Let's get you guys to bed now, shall we?" she teased as she reached out and took him by the hands, grunting with effort as she hauled him to his feet. He yawned again, louder this time as she led him to the staircase. She quickly planted a kiss on his cheek, and swiftly dodged as he attempted to swat her again with an embarrassed growl, which was met with her own little giggle as he rolled his eyes. "G'night, Raph," she said with a little wave.

He sent her a tired smirk. "Later, Ape," he said before climbing up the stairs and disappearing into his room.

Shaking her head with a fond smile, April turned around to head back into the living room, only to nearly collide with Casey, who much to her surprise, had Mikey hoisted up onto his back. His cheek was pillowed on Casey's left shoulder, and he boy had his arms hooked underneath Mikey's knees as he adjusted him more securely on his back. When a small trickle of drool pooled onto his shoulder, Casey turned o April and gave her a weary yet accepting look. April giggled again. "How cute," she cooed.

Casey shrugged in response, or as much as he could with Mikey as his cargo. "Eh, I figured you'd need Casey Jones to help you out with turtle wrangling. Besides…" he turned to look back at Mikey, a soft yet sad smile graced his normally boisterous features. "…he kinda reminds me of my little sister…"

April's smile fell slightly at that. But before she could let the sadness take over, and understanding smile took its place as she laid a hand against Casey's cheek, softly patting it reassuringly. That earned her a genuine smile of thanks from the black haired vigilante, before she moved out of the way and allowed him to climb up the stairs. "You can get Leo up, I'll handle Donnie," he whispered over his vacant shoulder as he reached the top of the stairs.

April nodded and went back into the living room, only to find that Donnie was already stirring as he stretched and yawned loudly. Standing up from the rocking chair as he rubbed his eyes drowsily, he caught sight of her standing in the doorway and immediately began to blush. "O-Oh! Um, hi April," he stammered. "Sorry, we meant to go up earlier, but Mikey wanted to watch a Crognard marathon with us and…wait, where _is _Mikey? And where's Raph?"

April smiled at him. "Casey just carried Mikey upstairs to put him to bed, and I just sent Raph up. Now it's _your_ turn," she said, beckoning him forwards with a tilt of her head in the direction of the stairs.

Donnie waved a hand at her. "Oh that's okay," he said as he made his way to the backdoor, "I need to go back into the barn to finish off that –"

"_Donatello Hamato."_

Donnie froze on the spot, not daring to turn around as his eyes widened at her tone. He gulped nervously as he felt her presence behind him, and he slowly turned around to find her glaring up at him with her hands planted firmly on her hips. He opened his mouth to try and argue, but she pointed her finger towards the stairs once more, her glaring blue eyes never leaving him as they narrowed.

"Bed. _Now," _she snapped, daring him to disagree with her again.

His head nearly drawing into his shell, Donnie nodded. "Yes ma'am," he squeaked sheepishly as he tip-toed around her and then booked it towards the stairs. Once he was out of sight, April finally allowed her glare to fade as she chuckled. _That's what I thought, _she teased inwardly.

Then her brows rose in realization. Holy crap…Casey and Bernie were right all along. She really _was _acting like a mother.

Oh well, if that's what it took to get the job done, then April didn't really mind. Perhaps it was just Splinter rubbing off on her.

She was about to back to get Leo up, but a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"…no…no, keep away!"

April frowned. It was only faint, but April could hear it loud and clear as she approached the couch. She found Leo stirring, his face no longer peaceful as his brows creased and his teeth ground together. His hands balled into tight fists as he tossed and turned on the couch, sweat trickling down his brow. "N-no! No, keep away! Get away from them!" he cried, louder this time.

Eyes widening, April gasped. He was having a nightmare again.

Wasting no more time, April hurried around the couch and sat beside him, reaching out and grasping him by the shoulders as his struggles and moans became more intense. "Leo, listen to me," she called to him firmly, "it's not real, it's just a dream! Wake up, Leo!"

But he wasn't heeding her. Instead, he began to lash outwards, his struggles becoming violent as he thrashed in her grip. "_NO! Stay away, leave them alone!" _he shouted. "_Don't hurt them! DON' HURT THEM!"_

His clenched fist swung wildly and struck April in the face, making her cry out in pain as a bruise already began to form under her left eye. It stung like hell, but instead of reeling backwards, she narrowed her eyes as she clenched her teeth. She refused to let him go. So she shook him harder. "_LEO! WAKE UP!" _she shouted.

Leo's eyes snapped open as he let out a cry. He sat upright as he panted, his breaths labored and shaking as sweat trickled down the side of his face. His eyes were unfocused for a moment, clouded with fear from the dream, before he blinked rapidly back into reality. The first thing he noticed was that there were hands, very small hands, gripping his shoulders firmly. He then looked up to find April staring at him, worry creasing her features as they gazed into each others eyes in silence…

…and then Leo noticed that her left eye was blackening, a small trail of blood tricking down her cheek from a cut just beneath her eye, and he gasped.

"…o-oh my god, April," he quivered, his shaking hand slapping over his mouth as his eyes widened with dread. "I-I'm sorry! I'm _so_ sorry!"

April's heart clenched painfully in her chest when she heard his voice hitch as he hesitantly reached out to touch her face, but then quickly drew back at the last second as his fearful gaze darted to the side instead. She quickly shook her head as she tightened her grip on his shoulder. "No, no Leo, it's okay," she assured him gently, though she cursed herself when she heard that her own voice was shaking. "I'm _okay_, Leo. It's just a bruise, it'll be fine."

Shaking his head rapidly as he squeezed his eyes shut, Leo drew into himself as he held his head between his hands. "…I thought you were…h-he was gonna…I-I had to…I couldn't let him hurt any of you again. And now I just…" he whimpered. April could see the tears brimming in the corners of his shut eyes, and her heart broke further upon watching them slip down his cheeks.

He was still in fear of the nightmare he'd faced. He felt guilty for striking her…and he continued to feel guilty for the losses and failures they suffered…

_Oh, Leo…_

Biting her lip, April leapt forwards and wrapped her arms around the oldest turtle, bringing him close to her chest as her cheek came to rest atop his head. Despite his feeble attempts to pull away from her, she held on as tight as she dared. "I know, Leo," she whispered, her hand stroking the back of his shell soothingly as his struggles stopped. "I know."

A moment was all it took before Leo's strong arms came to wrap around her middle in a crushing, almost desperate embrace. He made no sound, but his tears dampened her t-shirt as he held her. She paid it no mind as she gently kissed the top of his head, allowing him to release his sadness.

As the two of them sat there on the couch in the silence, Bernie and Casey's words began to echo in her thoughts…

_"…a girl in a home full of boys a year or so younger than her would eventually start to develop those maternal instincts at some point or another…"_

_"…I don't think they mind. In fact, if I didn't know any better…I'd say they kinda like the attention."_

April tightened her hold around Leonardo, her eyes squeezing shut as her sore cheek nuzzled against him, but she could care less. Whether she was acting like a mother or not, it didn't matter. What mattered was that they still had someone to rely on, a shoulder to lean or cry on when they needed it.

A parental figure may not have been what they wanted in the beginning, but it was without a doubt what they _needed_…what _Leo _needed right now.

She was no Splinter, and was _definitely_ no Tang Shen either. But right now, April knew that she could be that mother for them, even if it was only for a little while.

"I'm here, Leo," she whispered to him. "I'm here…"

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><p><strong>AN: Another emotional turn for the feels you guys! DX **

**I hope you guys liked this! More are on the way!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Back again everyone!  
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**This is an AU as well, one where Apriltello is cannon and they get married! I was smiling all the while when writing this, so I hope you like it too!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><span>Bliss<span>**

For what felt like the thousandth time that evening, Donatello looked up and checked the clock on the wall, and sighed when he discovered that it had only been five minutes since he'd last checked the time. Shaking his head, he paced the floor of the apartment back and forth, his three fingered hands clasped nervously behind his back as he stared down at the white carpeted floor. He knew that April would undoubtedly kill him if she came home to find that he'd created a groove in the floor from his pacing, but that was the last thing on his currently reeling mind.

The twenty-eight year old mutant ninja blew out a breath. He was just so nervous, though he knew he had no reason to be…other than the fact that in a few minutes, he was going to earn a new title that he would carry for the rest of his life. He and April both were going to have a new title to uphold, a title that neither of them had ever thought they would have the pleasure of earning in this lifetime…

The last few years seemed to have flown by right before his very eyes. The defeat of the Shredder and the Kraang at long last…him and April finally becoming a couple in their late teens…his father marrying him and April at the age of twenty-one, binding them both together forever…the two of them moving into their own apartment, somewhere high enough that Donnie would never have to fear of anyone seeing him…simply living their lives together as any normal husband and wife…it had all seemed like a dream to him, even after seven years of married life with the love of his life. Not that he would _want _to wake up from this particular dream of course, but even so, it felt too surreal.

All their lives, he and his brothers had always thought that they would never find love, not like this. And then April had come along, and changed _everything_ they had ever believed. And he and his family couldn't be happier with that change.

Still, Donnie had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as his brows furrowed.

They had talked about it for weeks prior to this day. April had filed all the paperwork and had been through countless interviews. They had their apartment inspected (with Donnie being elsewhere with his brothers at the time of course) by members of the agency. They had gone through and completed all the necessary procedures…so why was he still so anxious?

What if they weren't ready for their new titles? They were barely in their thirties for goodness sakes! What if they weren't good enough? What if –?

Donnie finally stopped his pacing as he sighed again, bringing up a hand to massage his temples as he sat down on the couch. He needed to stop his foolishness. They were going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine. Like Splinter once said to Michelangelo, "Be still and calm…"

There was a knock at the front door. Donnie practically leapt out of the couch with a squawk of alarm, his hand instinctively reaching back for his Bo staff even though it wasn't there. He remained still and silent as he waited…

_"Tadaima!" _came a familiar sweet voice from behind the door.

Donnie relaxed, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he smiled. "_O kaeri_!" he replied as he walked towards the door, his hand grasping the handle tight.

This was it. It was finally time.

Letting out a final breath, Donnie unlocked the door and opened it wide, grinning down at the smaller frame of his beautiful wife as she beamed up at him excitedly. His mahogany gaze then wandered down to the large portable car seat that she held in her arm, and his smile grew wider with anticipation.

After sharing a quick greeting kiss, he allowed her to step through into the apartment before he shut and locked the door behind him. "How'd it go?" he asked her as he followed her into the living room, where she set the car seat onto the leather couch.

The red head was practically bouncing on her toes as her freckled smile stretched across her face. "It went perfectly, hon!" she squeaked, jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck. "I filed everything out, and I was in and out of there in seconds! The only thing that kept me back was the traffic, otherwise I would've gotten home sooner."

Once she finally released him, April took a step back as she gestured the care seat with a tilt of her head. "Go on!" she urged in a loud, exited whisper. "Take a look!"

Biting his lip as he nodded, Donnie approached the car seat, and with great care, he slowly took off the yellow blanket covering its passengers' features.

What he saw took his breath away.

Blinking rapidly in the new light of the apartment, the little baby girl opened her wide blue eyes and stared directly into the eyes of the mutant turtle hovering over her. As he gazed down at her pinkish skin, her tiny fists clutching the blanket as she sucked on her pacifier, her tangled mess of dark ginger hair that suck out from underneath her little hat, Donnie couldn't restrain the half sob that escaped him as he covered his mouth with a trembling hand.

He'd seen pictures that the orphanage had sent them of her before, but they were nothing compared to what he saw before him now. She was gorgeous. She was perfect.

She was _his._

His eyes watering, he turned to April, who was standing merely inches away with tears streaming down her smiling face. "…April," he breathed as he turned back to the curious baby girl. "…she's…she's absolutely…"

"Perfect?" April finished for him, using the sleeve of her baggy, yellow knitted jumper to wipe away her tears as she sniffed. Grinning, Donnie nodded, moving out of the way as she walked over to the car seat and unstrapped the baby, carefully picking her up and holding the warmly wrapped up bundle in her arms as she gently bounced her.

Donnie moved to stand next to her, gazing down at the baby in April's arms as the little one darted her eyes left and right to stare at each of them. Giggling, April wiggled a finger in front of her face, which after a few moments of staring at it, the baby reached out with a tiny hand and grasped it with all her strength. April let out a breathless laugh at just how strong her grip was, before looking up at her husband. "Do you want to hold her?"

Startled out of his thoughts as he stared down at the baby, Donnie's eyes went wide as they focused on April at her sudden question. "W-what? M-me?" he stuttered. "But…but what if I drop her? What if -?"

April shook her head, cutting him off as she held the infant out to him. "It's okay, Donnie," she assured softly. "She's a baby, not a china doll. You won't break her."

Gulping, he hesitantly reached out and took the child from April and held her securely in the crook of his arm, supporting her head just as he'd practiced with April's old baby dolls prior to this as he sat down on the couch, and April followed suit.

She was so tiny…her entire head could fit in the palm of his hand…

She continued to stare up at him, her blue eyes blinking curiously as he smiled down at her. "…hey there, little girl," he cooed, hovering a single green finger in front of her face as he gently touched her cheek. "…you're probably wondering what on earth I am, but the truth is…I'm gonna be your new daddy. Is that okay?"

The baby was silent for a moment, before the pacifier dropped from her mouth, and the biggest toothless grin that either of them had ever seen spread across her face as her tiny hands reached up to Donnie, her fists clenching and unclenching as she giggled and flapped her arms about.

April and Donnie shared another breathless laugh at her display, before Donnie carefully lifted her up so that she was eye level with him. And as soon as her nose bumped softly against his, she squeaked in delight as she nuzzled him and slapped her hands against his cheeks. As he laughed, a single tear slipped down his cheek as he held the little girl close…_his _little girl.

And in that moment, all of Donnie's worries and fears vanished, replaced with pure bliss as he and his wife and new baby daughter sat there on the couch together. April was going to be the perfect mother.

And Donatello was certain that he would be the perfect father.

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><p><strong>AN: Can you see my tears?! Ahh, let me die here! I hope you liked it, and more are on the way! **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hi guys! This one has ALSO been a little bug buzzing in my brain lately (among other things), so I decided to put it out there before it flew away.  
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**I always wondered about if Leo would ever really break after the ordeal with the Foot during the Invasion *cries forever in a ditch* but when he didn't I was SO PROUD of him for staying so strong, and yet I couldn't but feel a _little _dissapointed, because he's 15 YEARS OLD for crying out loud! Who _wouldn't _break down after something as horrible as _that_?! But anyways, I figured after they found Splinter *cries again with happiness* that Leo would go to Splinter, and eventually his walls would crumble.**

**Here's what I think could/should/would happen!**

**I OWN NOTHING BUT MY FEELS!**

**Enjoy!**

**(P.S: I lstened to Fairy Tail Soundtrack Atarashii Yuujou whilst writing this, so I can tell you right now that there were tears here.)**

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><p><strong><span>Reunited <span>**

"Master Splinter?"

His ear flicking once atop his head, Splinter cracked one eye open to find his eldest son, Leonardo, standing inches away from where he sat with his legs folded beneath him. After they had snuck inside the old building that Michelangelo had proposed they hide within until they could find a more permanent abode, the six teenagers had come an agreement that the storage room, the largest room in the whole place besides the dining area itself, in the very back of the abandoned pizzeria would be Splinter's temporary room until further notice. Splinter he had kindly declined the gracious and thoughtful offer, but at the children's insistence, his argument quickly became invalid, and so he relented to their request. He was currently meditating in the far corner of the room whilst the others attended to cleaning the place up a little to make it, at the very least, _somewhat _liveable.

Splinter opened both eyes, regarding his oldest child with a fond smile as Leonardo took a seat in front of him. "Yes, what is it, my son?" he asked. It had been so long since he had seen him, all of them…and though he was so very relieved to have them by his side once more, he couldn't help but remember the last time he had seen Leonardo…

He'd watched as they had all reluctantly fled from the lair as the Kraang droids appeared by the dozen, led away by their leader who gazed up at him with wide, fearful blue eyes.

He had deemed that they would have gone somewhere safe, somewhere he could find them and then think of a plan to escape the city together…but when he'd journeyed to the surface alongside Leatherhead only to find Leonardo's discarded katana imbedded within one of Shredders Foot Robots…and then to hear that Shredder had taken yet another child away from him…

Splinter quickly discarded those thoughts. The past no longer mattered; his sons were with him now, all of them. There was nothing left to fear, at least for now.

Leonardo smiled back at his Sensei respectfully, just as he had always done. "I just came in to ask if you're okay," he explained, reaching up to rub the back of his neck as he cast a disapproving gaze across the old dusty room. "I mean, I know it's not exactly the most ideal place to meditate, but…"

Shaking his head, Splinter reached out and laid a clawed hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Do not fret, my son. I am very much comfortable here for the time being," he said, and then grimaced once he spotted a particularly foul looking stain on the wall on the far side of the room. "Though it is true that the smell of pizza does not help in terms of meditation…" he muttered under his breath.

Leo chuckled at that, attempting to stifle it with a hand over his mouth, but failed. "Well, at least Mikey's enjoying the smell," he joked with a shrug.

Splinter nodded in agreement with a chuckle and a shake of his head at the reminder Michelangelo's antics…but the smile he wore slowly faded as the muscles in the shoulder he held began to tense under his palm. He then looked down at where Leo had placed his hands on his lap, only to find them clenched into loose fists. Splinter's brows furrowed as he glanced back at his son, who seemed to have noticed that _he _noticed.

"Perhaps it is _I _who must be asking if _you_ are alright, Leonardo," he ventured, watching carefully as Leo's eyes drifted to the side. Releasing his shoulder, Splinter regarded his pupil curiously. "What is it that has made you anxious, aside from the obvious?" he asked with a tilt of his head to the wall, implying the current alien infested city beyond the safety of their temporary home.

After a moment, Leo sighed lightly. "…I'm sorry, Master Splinter," he said at last, his fingers idly messing with the wrapping on his wrists. "I _know_ I should be more concerned about more important things, like finding Karai, stopping the Kraang and Shredder and freeing the city, but…I can't stop thinking about what happened…"

His ear flicking, Splinter immediately knew where this was going, and his hand reflexively tightened into a loose fist just as Leonardo's had done earlier. Though he had arrived too late to save him that tragic day, Splinter was well aware of the horrors that his son had experienced by the hands of Shredder and the Foot, so much so that not even his voice was the same once he'd recovered. But even though he had overcome their fears in the Spiritual Realm, there were still doubts that lingered over his young leader's head.

Though he knew that what Leonardo was about to say would probably tear his heart in two, Splinter chose to say nothing. This was something that his son, whether he knew it or not, was desperate to release, so it was his duty as his teacher, his father, that he listened intently.

"…I…I can't stop thinking about how I'd failed," Leo continued, his eyes downcast. "…you were right about Donnie and I. We should never have argued and let our egos get the better of us. If we hadn't then maybe things would've been a little different. Maybe we could've _all _escaped the city, I wouldn't have gotten caught by the Foot…in fact, if I'd only stopped Karai from going after Shredder that night, then maybe he wouldn't have –"

"Leonardo," Splinter cut in abruptly, making the blue masked turtle look up at him expectantly. Splinter's expression was concerned yet understanding all at once as he gazed down at him. "There is no need to cry."

Confused, Leo made a face. "…what?" he stammered, and then let out a watery chuckle as he lifted a hand to his face. "I-I'm not crying, Sensei. I'm –"

He was silenced instantly when he felt the dampness on his mask.

His eyes going wide, he then traced his cheek to find a steady stream of tears trickling down his face. What? He wasn't aware that he'd been crying at all. He'd been completely fine before, so why…?

Blinking rapidly, Leo snapped himself out of his trance. "U-Uh, sorry Sensei," he chuckled, feigning a smile as he used the back of his hand to wipe away the tears, but that only brought more to fall down. "H-heh, sorry. Get it together, Leo, geez!" he joked weakly, his voice wavering as he smiled at Splinter, even as the tears continued to fall.

Watching his son sadly as he fought to compose himself, Splinter reached out once more to lay a soft hand against his cheek, startling Leo as he blinked in surprise. But he did not shy away from his touch as he used his thumb to wipe away a tear. "You do not need to apologize for anything, Leonardo," Splinter said gently. "Though your actions may have caused you and your brothers to become separated, you fought bravely against our enemies. Despite knowing that the odds were against you, you did not give up for a moment. You fought for the safety of this city…and you fought for the safety of our family. Even when you believed you were at your lowest point, you continued onwards to the road of recovery. And I watched you and your brothers as you battled your foes on the Spiritual Plane. You heeded my words well, and you became like the 'Wind' itself. And now you have led your brothers back to me, reuniting our family once more."

Cupping Leo's face in both hands, Splinter smiled down at him. "I am certain that your brothers are proud to call you the rightful leader of your team, Leonardo. And I am honored to have the privilege of calling you my son."

A shuddering gasp escaped Leonardo, his eyes widening further as Splinter drew his hands away from his face, and he could no longer stop the tears from falling as they dripped down his cheeks ceaselessly. Squeezing his eyes shut, he covered his face with his hands as he quietly began to sob into them, his shoulders shaking as they wracked through him. "…thank you, S-Sensei," he gasped through his tears. "…thank you…"

Unable to watch his child cry any longer, Splinter took him by the shoulders and brought him close to his chest, wrapping his arms firmly around his son as he buried his tear-stained face into his robes and continued to sob. Rubbing his hand across his shell in soothing motions, just as he had always done to them when they were younger, he heard Leo's muffled voice…

"I m-missed you, father."

Splinter smiled, holding his son tighter and closing his eyes as they welled up with tears also. "I have missed you as well, my son. But we are reunited at last. There is no need for tears any longer, my child…"

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><p><strong>AN: I am dead.  
><strong>

**I hope you liked this! More drabbles along the way! (P.S if anyone wants to see a No Love Is Greater drabble on here, tell me!)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello again!  
><strong>

**Two chapters in one day? Dude I'm on a roll here!**

**Okay, so a few of you wanted a drabble on No Love Is Greater, and you mentioned something focusing on Leo and Karai's relationship. So, because I love that concept so much, I decided to go ahead and write it!**

**Thank you to everyone who Rated, Reviewed and Faved thus far! I love you all!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy some feels!**

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><p><strong><span>Partners in Crime<span>**

"Again, again, again! Do it again, Uncle Tiger Claw!"

"Yeah, daddy! _Please _do it again! _Please!"_

With an exasperated roll of his eyes, though he couldn't prevent the smile that spread across his feline features as he gazed down at the two children bouncing on their toes below him with their arms outstretched, Tiger Claw sighed. "Very well," he relented at last, "I will do it one last time. But, you must promise me that you will do as I asked and go to bed, _Wakarimasu ka?" _

_"Wakarimashita!" _Leonardo and Karai chanted in unison, the eight year old turtle and the nine year old girl both beaming brighter than the sun at their success as Tiger Claw bent down and picked them both up, one in each arm, and held them close to his chest. Giggling with excitement, they clung onto his shirt with all their might as he looked to them both.

"Ready?" he asked with a grin.

"Ready!" they chimed.

Without further ado, Tiger Claw activated his jet pack. Within moments, his feet had left the ground and he and the two children he held in his arms were soaring high into the air, bursting through the trees that surrounded their forest home as they flew. Leo and Karai screeched and laughed as they hovered high above the treetops, their grip on Tiger Claw's shirt tightening both out of the possible fear of falling and out of the excitement that threatened to burst from their bouncing little bodies.

"We're up so high!" Karai cried elatedly in his right arm. "Ooh, Uncle Tiger Claw, go upside-down again!"

On his left, Leo nodded rapidly in agreement. "Yeah! Go upside-down, dad!" he repeated.

Rolling his eyes once more as he chuckled, Tiger Claw tightened his grip around the two children, and took them utterly by surprise as he suddenly flipped himself backwards, hovering upside-down in mid-air as they shrieked. Their little feet dangled down from above as kicked their legs back and forth, their faces nearly red due to their screaming laughter and the blood rushing up to their heads. Tiger Claw himself was not phased so much by the shift in gravity; it was their combined high-pitched screaming that bothered him the most as he flattened his ears as much as he could to his head in an attempt to stifle the noise.

Once he deemed they'd had enough of that, he righted himself again as he slowly lowered them back to solid ground. Once his feet touched the grass, he allowed them to stand on their own and watched with a chuckle as they stumbled about dizzily, still giggling as they wavered backwards and forwards.

"T-that was _craaaaazyyyy_!" Karai tittered, before she bumped into Leo, sending them both tumbling to the grass with another burst of laughter.

Tiger Claw shook his head for the umpteenth time as he folded his arms over his chest. It was due to his master, Shredder, being away on important business that he had left his daughter to stay with him and Leonardo until he returned, for she had no other babysitter to look after her. This particular request had been a bit of a shock to the mutant tiger, for he had never been asked to do fulfill such a task before. Leo, on the other hand, had been ecstatic upon hearing that his new friend was coming to stay for a few days. Karai had been no different, and the two had practically tackled each other to the ground upon her arrival that morning after one of Shredder's personal servants had dropped her off.

Throughout the first few hours of the day, the young human girl had been well-behaved and polite in his presence. But that was only until her shyness melted away. After that, she and Leonardo had quickly become 'partners in crime' as it were, constantly pestering Tiger Claw and getting into shenanigans that had ended up with them in the bath more than twice already. It was only after promising them that he would let them fly with him on his Jet Pack before bedtime that they eventually calmed down, but now he feared that they would be too giddy with adrenaline to go to sleep.

Children were odd little things sometimes.

Returning his attention to the two of them as they lay sprawled out on the grass, Tiger Claw put his hands on his hips. "Now then, are you two ready to go to sleep?" he probed.

To his relief, they both nodded. "_Hai_!" they piped up.

Tiger Claw nodded. "Very good. Let's get inside and get you dressed for bed then, shall we?"

"We can't," Karai panted.

"We're too tired. We can't move, Sensei," Leo whined dramatically with a hand over his forehead.

Raising a brow, Tiger Claw feigned annoyance as he shook his head. "Well, that most _certainly_ will not do," he said. And then without warning, he bent down and grabbed one of each of their legs, lifting them off the ground with ease as they screamed yet again in surprise, laughing breathlessly as they dangled upside-down once again in his grip. Unable to stop laughing himself, Tiger Claw walked inside the house and made his way to the spare bedroom that Leo and Karai shared, where he then dropped them on top of the futons.

They laughed and rolled across the futon for a moment longer, before they calmed down enough to get up and get prepared for bed. Tiger Claw left the room, allowing the two of them some privacy as he went into the bathroom to wet a cloth to wash their faces with. When he returned, however, it appeared that Karai had gotten her head stuck whilst trying to pull her pajama shirt on, and Leo was attempting to help her by pulling the bottom of the shirt down with all his might.

Rolling his eyes yet again, it took everything within his power to prevent himself from laughing out loud. "Kids," he sighed as he stepped inside the room to help the poor trapped child.

* * *

><p>It was in the late hours of the night when Tiger Claw had been awakened from his sleep by the sound of a door sliding open, followed by light footsteps as they shuffled towards the kitchen. At first, as he cracked his eyes open and stared exasperatedly up at the ceiling, he'd been somewhat annoyed at the fact that one of them, or both of them, had not yet fallen asleep after all this time. But his annoyance quickly vanished at the sound of a sniffle as the lights flicked on in the kitchen, and the distinct smell of salt that filled his nose.<p>

His brows furrowing, he sniffed again.

It was Leonardo.

Tugging his blanket off as he got out of bed, Tiger Claw quietly slid the door of his room open and poked his head out to find that it was indeed Leonardo, sitting down on the floor in the far corner of the room with his knees drawn into him and his crossed arms covering his face as he quietly cried.

Tiger Claw frowned deeply. It had been months since Leonardo had been taken out on his first killing mission, and only weeks since the talk that had been the start of his long road to acceptance and recovery. Of _course _he would still have nightmares. After all, it had taken himself just as long to grow adjusted to the life he now led.

He was about to step out and comfort his distraught son, but the door of the spare bedroom slid open, and he quickly ducked back inside his room as Karai hopped out.

Her confused amber eyes darted around the darkness of the house, until she spotted the light illuminating from the kitchen and tip-toed her way across. When she spotted Leo sitting there alone and crying, her eyes widened. "Leo?" she whispered.

Taken by surprise, Leo gasped as his head snapped up from his arms. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, though he knew she'd already seen them, and looked up at her. "…h-hey Karai," he mumbled miserably. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry."

Karai shook her head, her short black hair swishing from side. "No, you didn't. I just turned over and you weren't there," she said as she moved to sit next to him on the wooden floor, crossing her legs and tilting her head as she regarded his sad face. "Why are you crying?" she asked.

Sniffling, Leo looked down at his knees as more tears fell. "…I…I killed somebody, Karai," he whispered shakily, his shoulders trembling as he fought back a sob. "Your dad made me kill somebody for a mission...it was horrible, Karai. Tiger Claw said that he'd help me, a-and I believe him, but…I still get nightmares all the time. I d-don't wanna kill anyone else anymore!" he whimpered, covering his face with his hands as he began to cry.

Karai watched him with wide eyes brimming with her own tears, before she shuffled closer to his side and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. "...It's okay, Leo," she soothed, stroking the top of his head. "…I killed people too…"

At that, Leo lifted his head again to gawk at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. "…r-really?" he stammered.

Karai nodded sadly, turning her head away as she shivered. "…yeah. My dad says that if you're gonna be a rue ninja, you gotta be prepared to take a life for the honor of your clan. I don't know if I believe it, and I don't like it either…I _hate _killing people. It's wrong, and it's really scary. I have nightmares all the time too, but I can't always go to my dad for everything that scares me. I gotta be tougher than that, or at least that's what he says…"

Smiling softly, she then turned back to Leo. "But now I have you to talk to whenever I'm scared. And you always have me, too! Right?"

Leo blinked at her once, before he sniffed and wiped away his tears again. Once they were gone, he returned her smile as he nodded, and then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "Right!" he said, nuzzling his cheek against hers as she threw her arms around him again.

Peering through the doors of his bedroom, Tiger Claw smiled warmly at the scene before him. He had never seen such moral wisdom from the young girl before, for she was almost always bouncing with pure, unstable energy whenever she and Leo were together. But now watching as she brought him comfort, expressed her profound feelings…

Perhaps she was not as much of a trouble maker as he'd first thought.

As they pulled away from each other, Karai's mouth shaped into a wicked grin. "So, do you wanna go and draw on Tiger Claw's face whilst he's sleeping?" she whispered with a cackle, which Leo soon echoed as he nodded his head.

Tiger Claw's face fell. Well, she was wiser than she seemed, but the two of them together were undoubtedly still a pair of young, trouble-making 'partners in crime'. He wondered – and prayed – if they would ever grow out of it as they grew older.

He doubted that _very _much…

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><p><strong>AN: Oh Tiger Claw, if only you knew what you were in for with these two! XD  
><strong>

**I hope you guys liked that! If you have any more suggestions, please don't hesitate to ask! See you next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey guys!  
><strong>

**So, lately I haven't been in the greatest of moods. Parents bugging me, my projects killing me, all sorts of stuff. So I decided to vent a little bit on TMNT instead. **

**This is something I thought of for a Raph and Karai sibling interaction, and I think I did okay! It's kinda dark at the beginning, but hey, we gotta have a happy ending, right?  
><strong>

**I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><span>Brothers Part 3: Raphael<span>**

It had only been two weeks since their estranged 'sister', Karai, had officially become a part of their family and moved in with them. Master Splinter, Leonardo (predictably enough) and Michelangelo had quickly gotten used to her presence in their home and in the dojo as they trained together, welcoming the newest member of the Hamato family with open arms. Donatello was still somewhat skeptical about the serpent kunoichi, but was kind and inviting towards her regardless.

Raphael, on the other hand, despite the fact that she'd proved that she was no longer a danger to him or his brothers, and despite the fact that she'd claimed that her ties with the Foot Clan were long since cut, a part of him still could not fully accept it.

Now, Raph was not one to hold onto a grudge for _too _long; he'd learned to let go of what Spike – _Slash _– had nearly done to his brothers after he'd protected them all from the Newtralizer…but this was _Karai _he was talking about. She was the girl that had been _raised_ by the Shredder, and the girl that had kidnapped and continuously tried to kill his family and friends. Of course back then she'd been blinded from the truth of her parentage, but even so, the red clad turtle found it difficult to let go of a past that dark…

It didn't mean he hadn't been trying, though. Every now and again he would try to engage her into a friendly conversation (or as friendly as Raph could possibly be) or sit and watch T.V with her…in complete silence, and siting a good few inches away from each other. But it appeared that she was just as skeptical of him as he was of her, due to their history. Or perhaps she kept her distance simply because she was wary of his opinion of her living under the same roof.

He hadn't meant for her to feel unwelcome. She was his sister for crying out loud; she was no different than April was to them. But to be brutally honest, Raph hadn't meant to do a lot of things in his life, and yet they had happened anyways, whether he had control of it or not.

However, it was on the night during her third week living with them that things had finally, yet unexpectedly, changed between the two.

* * *

><p>Yawning loudly as he stretched his arms outwards, Raph plodded out of the kitchen that night after having treated himself to a late night snack, and was now headed towards the main room, hoping to watch some T.V by himself for a little while whilst the others were asleep in bed. However, he stopped mid-step and raised a brow when he found that someone had already beaten him to it.<p>

Clothed in her purple vest top and baggy bottom pajamas (new ones that April had given to her the week prior) Karai was sat down on the couch with her arms wrapped around her knees as she hugged them close to her chest, her serpent green eyes transfixed on the T.V screen in front of her. As he moved closer and stood behind the couch, his brows rose higher upon finding what she was watching.

What in the world?

Whether she'd acknowledged his presence or not, it no longer mattered as he tapped her once on the head. "Are you really watching 'Titanic'?" he asked incredulously.

Karai barely reacted, her eyes glued to the screen as she hugged her knees closer. "…it's one of my favorite movies," she replied distantly, not noticing as he leapt over the couch and sat next to her. "It was one of the only movies I'd managed to sneak into my room when I was a kid. Shredder never really approved of me 'filling my head with trivial nonsense', so he forbade me from watching a lot of cartoons, anime…especially romantic stories. I bought a DVD of this from the local video store one night and managed to sneak into my father's room whilst he was away on business to watch it on his T.V. Ever since, it's been one of my favorites."

Listening to her in silence all the while, Raph regarded her curiously as he leaned back against the couch and folded his arms over his chest. "Seriously? No offense, but I didn't think _you _would be interested in this kinda lovey-dovey stuff," he said, turning to the screen as he watched the camera close up on the saddened expression of the main female protagonist, Rose, as she sat at the dining table surrounded by gossiping women that seemed to not have noticed her gloominess. "I mean, we saw this when we were kids too, and everyone but me and Donnie loved it. We found it pretty boring until the ship actually sank," he shrugged. "What do _you_ see in this movie anyways?"

Resting her chin on her knees, Karai closed her eyes for a moment, clenching the purple fabric of her pajama pants in her fists. "…because…I guess I can relate to Rose," she said, barely above a whisper. "…she and I pretty much had the exact same problems. We were restricted, always watched, told what to do, how to act…what our duties were. And at one point, we both reached our breaking point…"

Raph turned to her, raising a brow. "…what do you mean?" he asked, though the look on her face already filled him with dread. Opening her eyes again, Karai stared directly at the screen.

"I saw my whole life as if I'd already lived it..." she said, in perfect harmony with the elderly narration of Rose. Even as Raph blinked at her in surprise, she never tore her eyes from the television. "…an endless parade of parties and cotillions, yachts and polo matches...always the same narrow people, the same mindless chatter…"

Karai felt a treacherous lump form in her throat, though she did her best to swallow it as her eyes watered. "I felt like I was standing at a great precipice," she continued, her wavering as she bit down on her bottom lip, "with no one to pull me back…no one who cared...or even noticed."

Raph's emerald eyes were wide as he stared at her, not daring to say a word or even breathe as they sat there side by side in silence. She couldn't have meant that. There was no way that she would have even dared to try to…

But as Karai's normally vibrant green eyes full of mischief became dull as she frowned deeply, watching as the distraught Rose ran across the ship in tears, there was no doubt that at one point or another, she _had_ tried.

"Everyone's always saying that the death of Jack was the saddest part of the movie," Karai whispered, quickly bringing up a hand to harshly scrub away a tear that had managed to fall from her eye. "But not me. For me, _this_," she said, gesturing the screen with her hand as Rose began to climb over the rails of the ship, looking down into the dark, swirling waters below as she hung there, "is the saddest part. She'd finally had enough of living this stupid, pointless life of hers, and was ready to end it all right then and there. She just wanted to escape…to not worry about anything or anyone anymore…to finally be free…"

The red clad turtle on her right, stunned into speechlessness as he watched another tear slip down her cheek unnoticed, gazed at her solemnly as she sniffed once. Looking down at his lap, Raph scowled deeply, his emerald eyes narrowing darkly as his hand clenched into a tight, shaking fist. He felt terrible for Karai, and mentally cursed himself over and over again for not being able to properly show her how, unlike Leo or Mikey could have.

Though he had never in his life reached the brink of that precipice that she had hung from, he could indeed relate to her sadness, her rage, her overwhelming urge to be free from everything and everyone around her…

He remembered a time when he was only eight years old, after a particularly bad fight with Leonardo that had made him run away from the lair in tears after both brothers had said something they shouldn't have. He remembered how he'd sat in the darkness of a tunnel for hours, sniffling as he hugged himself and shivered from the cold. Back then, Raph had considered simply staying where he was forever, to never return to where he clearly wasn't wanted…to slip within the darkness for good.

But just as the random boy that got lucky happened upon Rose at her darkest hour, someone had dragged Raph from the darkness.

Raph remembered how Leo had suddenly appeared after seemingly hours of shivering in the dampness of the tunnel. He was breathless, and so relieved that tears had cascaded down his cheeks as he fell to his knees and embraced Raph with all the strength within him. Over and over again had Leo told him how sorry he was, and he'd begged for his forgiveness and for him to come back home with him, for he loved him more than anything in the world. After he too had succumbed to tears, Raph had accepted, allowing his big brother to take him by the hand and lead him out of the darkness, back into the light and laughter of their family…

Turning back to Karai, who was still deeply entranced by the movie, a thought came to him in that moment as he bit his lip. "Hey," he said softly after a moment, earning her attention as she looked at him. "You're right about this being pretty sad. And yeah, Rose looks like she's ready to put an end to it…but you're forgetting something very important."

Karai furrowed her brows in confusion. Raph only nodded his head towards the screen, and Karai looked back just in time to see Jack take Rose by the hand, watching as he smiled at her with all the kindness and warmth one would need to chase away the cold that surrounded them.

Understanding dawned on her then as she snapped her head back at Raph, who only offered her a small, yet kind smile. He didn't know who had managed to help Karai out of the darkness that had hovered over her head, but he assumed that didn't really matter. For now, she was surrounded by those who would do the same for her no matter what. And despite the things she'd done to them all in the past, Raph was willing to count himself as one of those people.

Without a word, Raph held out his hand to her, his eyes never leaving hers. A moment passed, and the amount of gratitude in Karai's smile could never be matched as she slowly took his hand. His large fingers curled around hers, holding her tiny hand in his strong, yet gentle grip as they turned back to the movie, just as the men arrived on the scene to find Jack collapsed on top of Rose.

They barely registered that they'd shuffled closer to each other as the movie played on. Raph hardly batted an eye as Karai's head came to rest against his shoulder. All he did was tighten his hand around hers and smile. Perhaps having Karai as a sister wasn't as bad as he'd first thought. After all, they could both use a little more light to chase away the darkness in their life.

So far, he mused that they were doing a pretty good job.

"…did _you_ cry when Jack died in the end?" Karai suddenly asked, her voice so nonchalant now compared to a few moments ago that it nearly threw the red turtle off.

Instead, he just laughed before muttering "maybe," under his breath.

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><p><strong>AN: This is not just a drabble. This is a message to all of my followers on tumblr, to all of YOU out there, that there is ALWAYS someone who cares about you, who will be there to pull you out of your darkest hour and help you through the hardest times of your life. You are LOVED. You MATTER. And I LOVE YOU ALL.  
><strong>


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